Arrancar Chronicles
by Lair of the East
Summary: Arrancar - A family of powerful quirk users that caused widespread chaos in some Asian countries decades ago. A group of siblings rise from the sands of Huecojima to right the wrongs done by and against their family. OC centric story. Rated T for freeform cussing and non-explicit violence. Trigger warnings for violence against children and mentions of rape. I own nothing.
1. Chapter 1

BNHA - Arrancar Chronicles: Chapter 1

* * *

Arrancar \- The name of a powerful family hailing from Huecojima, an island in the Sea of Japan. In the past, their members numbered easily in the hundreds. The most recent reports state that fewer than twenty remain.

* * *

**U.A. High School - about 10 minutes before the start of class**

The first day of high school is a time of nervous energy. It is a day where the most first impressions can be made in a single moment. In a regular Japanese school, it is possible to luck out and already know someone to help carry you through introductions. Such luck is severely reduced here at U.A. High. The acceptance rate for its hero course is less than one in three hundred every year. Other than the four people admitted through recommendations, forty achieve admission through the regular exam. All forty-four students are split evenly into two classes of twenty-two. The chances of knowing anyone who would be in your class ahead of time seem abysmal for the hero candidate Izuku Midoriya. For the students who moved to the area to attend this prestigious academy, absolute zero.

Izuku opened the towering door leading to class 1-A praying that the people who'd helped him before and during the entrance exams would miraculously be in his class while those that'd held him in a bad light had been placed in the other. How many times would he have to roll the dice to get such an ideal starting line like that? Too many to count. How many rolls to get the exact opposite? That nightmarish situation is something he dared not put his mind towards, but the Fates smiled down on him as much as they laughed at what they'd cooked up. Having a confrontation on the other side of the room were the two people he wanted to be in the other class. His childhood friend Katsuki Bakugo was going back and forth with the tall teen who'd accused Izuku of distracting the other test takers. Sitting in the middle of the class was a boy who helped him save that nice girl in the practical exam.

While Bakugo and the tall boy continued, the freckled child was taken in again by the exotic features of his one time comrade. Straight, golden hair glimmered along his school uniform and brought attention to his brown skinned face. With a loving smile, the blonde listened to a student Izuku had never met with black hair braided back into a ponytail. A sweeping glance around the room revealed that some of his classmates were really pushing the exotic factor more than the rescuer of the exams. Further thoughts were interrupted by the tall teen noticing him still standing in the door.

"Aren't you…" With that trailing question everyone's attention landed on Izuku who shuddered and completely fumbled his chance at introducing himself. "Good morning." The glasses wearing young man charged the nervous boy at the entrance. "I am from Somei Private Academy. My name is Tenya Iida."

While those two greeted each other along a brown haired girl who showed up behind Izuku, a conversation really began.

"Is he the one that impressed you Nii-san?" A smooth voice whispered in the middle of the classroom. The child with the braided ponytail looked over the fidgety boy who'd been singled out during the written exam. 'He doesn't look like much, but there are plenty of quirks that make the user suddenly strong. Must be something like that.' Was the thought behind his black eyes.

"Yeah." The darker boy grunted in reply. He gave Izuku a side glance then focused back on his little brother. "He destroyed that skyscraper robot with one punch to the face. The jump he used to get up there broke both his legs while the punch broke his arm." There was a fire building in his eyes. "Not only is his strength overwhelming, so is his will." He continued. "When we got him safely to the ground, he started dragging himself with his good arm to keep competing in the exam." A wide smile stretched across his angular face.

The serene eyes that had nearly dismissed his brother's interest sharpened down to a point. To an onlooker he would appear to be glaring, but that wasn't the case. 'Some kind of super strength **and** outstanding willpower can make an unbeatable combo.' He was just focusing. "A powerhouse like that could be dangerous." He whispered to his brother. The teacher came in behind the socialites at the door. The exhausted looking man ordered everyone into their gym uniforms and out to a nearby field after introducing himself.

**At the training grounds**

After a brief summary of what the class would be doing, Aizawa called forth the student with the highest score on the practical to be an example. "Bakugo." He drawled then tossed a softball to the sandy blonde. "Use your quirk to the best of your abilities to throw that softball. You can do it however you like as long as you stay in the circle." With only a little bit of a windup and a shout of "DIE!" the explosion quirk user sent it zooming towards the clouds. When it landed a bit over 700m away, the class also exploded with excitement. Their bouncing feelings were quickly grounded by their homeroom teacher telling them to get real about being heroes. To make things worse, the scraggly man decided that whoever came last in the apprehension test would be expelled. He wouldn't hear a word of the unfairness of facing expulsion on the first day of school. He didn't give a damn about the students who suddenly looked like they were gripped with despair.

Stepping up for the 50m dash, some students shined easily while others produced quite average results for relatively in shape teenagers. With a quirk like 'Engine', Iida believed he was a shoe-in for the best results here. He understood that his time of 3.04s had only been limited by his quirk's ability to change gear in such a short distance, but a time like that would put him a head above his peers. Coming in to run a few sets after his turn was the blonde kid from the entrance exam and a large boy who looked like his body was cut out from some type of rock. When the record keeping robot called for them to go, the blonde barely took a step from his starting position when he vanished. Iida hadn't seen the kid run forward, but a moment later the same bot called out two seconds. The entire class's surprised "EH?" drowned out their rocky classmate's score. Off in a corner by himself, Iida muttered, "How is this possible? Wasn't his quirk some kind of light beam from his hand? How did he outspeed me?" Iida looked over to the golden boy, who was once again standing beside the kid with a braided ponytail. He had a bright smile on his face as he accepted praise from the outspoken girl with pink skin and a toned boy with red, spiky hair.

"Dude, that was like super manly!" The red head with sharp teeth exclaimed.

"Yeah! Yeah! You were like insane-o fast." The horned girl chirped. "My name's Mina Ashido, but you can call me Mina. All of my friends do." She introduced herself with the overflowing energy of a sugar rush. Was it natural? Not in most people, but the brothers could only assume it was her normal state of being. Gesturing to the red beside her, "This cool guy is Eijiro Kirishima." She introduced him as well.

"Most people call me Kirishima." He let the two know how he was typically called. "The two of us went to the same junior high school, and luckily made it into the same class here." His smile forced his eyes closed with its intensity. "You guys seem really close. Did you also come from the same school?" He pondered.

Just as the lighter of the two opened up to answer, "Oi! We're moving on to the next test. Stop wasting time!" Their teacher brought them all back into line. The tests continued on with different kids finding ways to shine in their trials. A mature girl with a spiky ponytail created an industrial clamp out of her forearm to boost her score in the grip test, and seemingly built a bike from her stomach to use in a distance run. The shortest boy pulled some dark purple balls from his head and bounced between them during the repeated side step test. The blonde who dominated the 50m dash tried doing that same disappearing move for his side step, but tripped out of the measuring area. When the class made it back around to the softball throwing area, some of the students were properly winded while others were looking around worriedly. Scattered few were either confident of their scores or weren't feeling physically tired yet. For this part of the exam, their teacher called the remaining students up by name. 'It was only logical that Asui would throw it with her tongue, but…' Running down his list in alphabetical order, Aizawa witnessed mostly average and expected throws from his would be students. 'Iida could've gotten a better score if he had kicked the softball instead. He'll need to work on seeing better ways to use his quirk.' His eyes narrowed imperceptibly when a certain turn came around. "Hakua L. you're up."

Coming into the circle, he considered the ball with his aquamarine eyes. He started a little windup after he formed some kind of mental plan. The kid called Hakua gave an impressive throw that seemed like it would go farther than everyone who had gone before him except Bakugo. Before the ball began its fall, he brought both hands to the sides of his chest. Everyone watching noticed an ominous red light start gathering in the palms of his hands. Hakua didn't take his eyes off of the ball. He thrust his hands into the air and the class followed the two beams of light that shot on towards the softball. The lasers, because what else could the class possibly think they are, flew quickly into the air. The two met at a point in the open air and let off a mild explosion. Kyouka Jirou, who had gone a few turns ahead of Hakua, idly thought to herself that he shouldn't have destroyed the softball before remembering that the thing had survived a direct explosion from that Baku-boy. Said softball actually hadn't been hit by the lasers. It was just on the edge of the assault and flew farther with the help of the shock. The score that came back was a bit over 250m, but the boy responsible for the second place record was holding his head in his hands. As per usual, he moved back over to the boy who kept calling him Nii-san. He whispered to him, "I missed the ball."

The braided teen's eyes widened before a hearty laugh escaped him. "That's so like you Nii-san." A beautiful smile covered his sharp face. The slightly shorter boy held onto his older brother's shoulder while giggles racked his athletic form.

A cough was let out by their teacher. "Ahem. You're next Kimito Llargo." All eyes moved to the one who had been calling Hakua "Nii-san" all morning. He looked about as muscular as his brother just maybe an inch or two shorter. Kimito's silky, Dutch braid bounced against his back with each step.

Only one of the students here had had a chance to see Kimito in action during the practical exam. The kid had gotten the first hit on the robot swarm from his place at the starting gate. Only Mashirao Ojiro knew what Kimito's power was. The rest of the class assumed that the brothers must have similar quirks even though their last names weren't exactly the same. 'He's going to do something like that, right?' Was the general thought running through their heads.

The medium skinned brother stepped up to the circle with a peaceful look on his face. He didn't take a stance at all. Watching from behind, the entire class thought braided boy had given up on the exam when he gave the softball an underhand toss. They didn't expect to see two venomous pink beams of light leave his head and curve upwards to meet the ball. Instead of exploding on contact with it, the lights seemed to work together to punch it further and further away. The beams dipped and straightened sporadically. In a way, they looked like two cobras rearing back and striking the ball in midair. Kimito's light kept pushing so strongly that Ojiro thought his classmate might reach a kilometer. About halfway there, the lasers wobbled as if they were running out of energy. Everyone saw the weak explosion at the tip of the beams.

Aizawa's phone displayed a reading of 516m. The kid hadn't set a new record, but he had clearly pushed it to his maximum range. The teacher watched the lad return to his brother's side. His triumphant smile morphed into an embarrassed expression as Hakua began rubbing the boy's head.

Behind them, Izuku stepped up to the plate only to find his devastating strength sealed by their teacher. The brothers sharpened up and watched the interaction intensely. 'Some kind of quirk suppressor. Those don't come by often.' Was the short thought passing through Kimito's head.

'Even if my quirk was canceled, I could still perform at a high level.' Went through Hakua's. 'C'mon Midoriya-san. Continue to show me that my interest in you is worthwhile.' The clumsy older brother offered up this prayer as encouragement. Izuku sure didn't disappoint when he concentrated his powers into his thumb and sent the softball soaring. The plain looking kid managed to get a score just slightly above Bakugo's record. This, of course, sent the explosion quirk user into a frenzy as he charged the shaking teen. Hakua disappeared from his brother's side immediately. He rushed between Bakugo and Izuku and took a fighting stance to protect the kid cradling a broken finger. Their homeroom teacher reacted just as fast, binding Bakugo in his capture scarf and erasing his quirk.

"Don't make me use my quirk so much!" He yelled at the explosive teen. "I have dry eye! Consider this your only warning. Fighting outside of training is strictly forbidden and is grounds for expulsion. That goes for everyone here." The laser user looked like he was going to say something so Aizawa cut him off. "I am the teacher, so let me handle it." Hakua bowed his head with a frown as the explosive blonde was released.

The rest of the class continued on with their tosses as Izuku approached Hakua. "Thanks for stepping up for me back there, L-san." A light blush on his cheeks. The hero cadet looked everywhere but at his fellow's face. He had learned his lesson from their first encounter. In tense situations like the end of the entrance exam, Hakua's face was quite intimidating. It wasn't borderline murderous like Kacchan's. It looked like the golden boy was preparing to, or perhaps preventing himself from striking first.

"Don't worry about it Midoriya-san." The taller lad said. "I thought you were going to break your arm again, but you really pulled off something cool back there." He roped the nervous boy in with an arm around his shoulder. "Like, cooler than everybody out here." The toothy smile really made Hakua shine like a precious metal. "Are you gonna be okay to continue with your finger like that?" His eyebrow blipped up with the question even though he could already guess the answer. Izuku thanked him for his concern, and finished out the apprehension test with the rest of the class.

**U.A. High School Faculty Office - A few days before the first day of school**

Preparing for teaching the students of the hero course was a bit easier than the general course. It was because of the numbers. The general course had more students, but there was less to prepare because they wouldn't be training with their quirks. For the two homeroom teachers of the hero course, Aizawa and Kan, reading through the profiles and figuring out how it all was going to play out was the first hurdle. Some had powers to watch out for. Some had personalities that would have to be juggled or set straight. Some had circumstances that need not be brought to light. And a couple…

"Do you think you can handle both of them Aizawa-kun?" A high voice from a short figure questioned. Principal Nezu had come to visit the underground hero who was rereading the small manilla folders with two specific students info. The high spec user had waited until the other teachers were engrossed with their own work to pose his question. The files open on Eraserhead's desk belonged to his "foreign" students. There was barely anything to go off on. Both folders had clearly been reduced to the bare essential information. Physical characteristics, light medical history, their academic record, but not much else. The kids had come from the not so distant island, Huecojima. It was known to be the home of the infamous Arrancar family. Based off of the quirk information sent with the file, it was only logical to assume that Hakua L. and Kimito Llargo were both descendants. Whether the two of them would follow the ideals of back then...

**Class 1-A**

Aizawa ran his eyes across the entire class seated before him. Everyone had come to attention after his short lecture on wasting time. When he passed over the pair sitting in the middle of the classroom, 'So those are the Arrancar boys.' he thought to himself. The underground hero's research hadn't come up with much on the kids. They had been living in Japan for about two months in a local apartment complex. The blonde had been spotted visiting different grocery markets and doing jogging exercises. Kimito hadn't been seen in public at all. 'Guess I'll see what all of these wannabes can do.' He pulled out the U.A. gym uniform and told everyone to meet out at the field.

**At the training grounds**

It wasn't immediately obvious that they weren't using a quirk. The results of tests like the 50m dash, long jump, and grip strength showed that their bodies were above average people and most of the trainees. For people who weren't in the know, it looked like the two had some kind of enhanced strength quirk. Hakua's high speed and powerful legs couldn't be the result of the jogging that had been reported of him. 'That must be some kind of special skill, but it isn't the quirk his family had sent in the file.' Aizawa frowned slightly as they continued on. 'Too many unknowns for my liking.' He had seen clips of the boys using their powers against the robots of the practical exam. It was time to see if they could be creative with those beams of light like the explosion kid, Bakugo, had done. And it turns out that they could. It looks like the older one slightly messed up on his ball throw, and the younger was able to punch his to the maximum range. These two weren't going to be the top scorers in his class, but they certainly proved that they were up there.

Mere minutes after those two, seconds after an admittedly surprising show from Midoriya, Bakugo's personality flared up much like his namesake. Aizawa noted that it seemed specifically aimed at Midoriya's quirk use not at his record being beaten. When the Arrancar boy stepped in between the two with that speed skill, the underground hero split his concentration onto both boys to prevent quirk usage and bound Bakugo. Looking closer, he saw that Hakua hands were closed into fists. 'Can he shoot those lasers from his fists, or does it have to be his open hand?' He wondered as he admonished them both.

* * *

**Author notes**

So this is my first story, and I'm writing it because I want to read it. Chapter two is already in the works, and I have an outline for many more to come. This story is definitely OC centric and is taking place in the BNHA universe. I'm going to run through the canon events and split off into my own plotline that disregards the provisional hero license exam arc and on.


	2. Chapter 2

BNHA - Arrancar Chronicles: Chapter 2

* * *

U.A. File.01 Class No.11 Hakua L. _Quirk_ \- Laser Hands. By concentrating the energy of his spirit, Hakua can fire a beam of light from his hands. The laser travels in a straight line, and it explodes on contact. The power of the laser and subsequent explosion depend on how long he is able to charge the energy in his hands.

* * *

**U.A. High School**

The students of class 1-A had no idea what they were going into on the morning of their second day. It's not their fault. They had all been faced with the threat of expulsion by their homeroom teacher about an hour into the first. Would everyday be like this at school for heroes? Not so. Like any other school teaching children in Japan, U.A. also has a basic, core curriculum. Subjects like mathematics, English, classical Japanese, history, and other common subjects were being taught here as well. The classes were still being taught by professional heroes, but the students were a bit dazed at how normal it all was. Class 1-A's time with their homeroom teacher had set a strong impression of how high the bar was here at U.A.

At the school's massive cafeteria, a certain group of those kids were continuing on with getting to know each other. Leading the charge was Mina Ashido, who had roped in a walking school uniform, a blonde boy with black highlights and his friend with dangling earlobes. They were all sitting together with her horn buddy, the brothers, and the blonde lad with a tail. This was her scene. She was in her element leading a group in a social setting. To the ones that she hadn't had a chance to talk to yet, the excited girl reintroduced herself and Kirishima. From there, she motioned over to someone she had resonated quickly with yesterday at the end of school. "And this is…"

"Hiya! I'm Toru Hagakure." The arm of the uniform raised up and waved around. Going by her voice and movement, it seemed that Hagakure had a similar energy to the acid quirk user. It was just harder for her to stand out like her peer. "It looks like a lot of you guys knew somebody when you came into class, but I didn't have such luck." Her arm bent at the elbow and made a move as if scratching the back of her head. "Not even somebody from my practical exam." She told everyone.

"That's kind of expected, right? This school is really strict on who it accepts." The cool voice of reason sounded off. "Oh, I'm Kyoka Jiro. It's nice to meet you all." The girl with dark purple hair identified herself with a hand on her modest chest. She jerked a thumb at the blonde beside her, "And this guy is Denki Kaminari. He's a bit stupid, but I hope you'll bare with him." She said with a teasing smirk.

"Oi! Why'd you go and mess up my chance?" Said boy immediately jumped to his feet. He seemed unoffended by what she had said, but defended himself anyway. The light banter between the two clearly hadn't been built in a day, and the classmates could see that it was all a part of their friendship. The other six ignored his plea for them to disregard what they'd heard.

"Hagakure-san was right. Some of us are really lucky to have people that we are so close to here." Hakua agreed with a light laugh.

"Like you and your... Brother?" Came Mina's left jab. She and Kirishima had tried to learn about the two who had scored so well during yesterday's exam, but hadn't found enough spare time. It didn't help that they had disappeared after Aizawa had dismissed class for the day.

"Right. We weren't finished were we?" Kimito remembered being interrupted by their teacher.

Hakua's shining eyes met with each of his lunch mates. "My name is Hakua L., but please don't call me L-san. Call me Hakua-san." He ran a hand through his hair to put it behind his ear on one side. Some of the girls were stricken by its glimmer and how dark his hand seemed in comparison. In a way, he reminded them all of the boy who had shot the sparkling laser from his stomach.

Kimito came in right after him, "I'm Kimito Llargo and I also go by my first name." A nostalgic look crossed his face when he explained, "Nii-san and I are technically cousins. We're about the same age and were raised together our whole lives." The two shared a look. Hakua took his little brother's hand in his own and squeezed.

The other students all thought, 'Wow. They're really close.' Ojiro gave his intro last. He let Hagakure know that he also didn't know anybody in their class beforehand, but said he had seen Kimito at the practical.

**At Class 1-A - Early afternoon**

Having filled their stomachs and learned a bit about each other, the students of 1-A sat patiently in their desks as they waited for whatever would come next. Their schedule said 'Hero Studies', but didn't elaborate on who the teacher would be or what those studies entailed. After a few minutes, everyone heard an exaggerated guffaw coming from out in the hallway. "**I am… Coming through the door like a normal person!**" The legend known as All Might entered the room with flair. Most of the students let their excitement shine through. The number one hero quickly let the kids know that they would be participating in a form of combat training. He set loose the cases containing their hero costumes, told them to suit up and meet him at the nearby training ground.

**At Ground Beta**

Standing in front of the massive gate of the training area, the number one hero allowed his mind to wander. All Might had a few minutes to be alone with his thoughts, so he figured it was a good enough time to think about what might happen. How was his successor going to perform considering he didn't have enough time to figure out how to control One for All? What about the son of the man who had been chasing his position for so many years? These heavy subjects weighed on him as much as the students from Huecojima's presence. Those two had proven that they had the ability to be powerful heroes one day, but their motivation for coming to Japan was still uncertain. There was no telling what they had learned from whoever remained on that island.

As one, the class arrived to the fake city where All Might was waiting. They had plenty of questions from him about what kind of combat training this would be, and how it would be graded. Somewhere in the background was a question about how good a cape looked on somebody, but that was ignored. The hero produced a small notebook from his pocket and began explaining in earnest. A simulation of heroes vs villains, a fight to protect or capture with an indoor setting. All Might told them a bit of his experience as a pro and some of the statistics associated with villain encounters. Izuku provided for him some sound reasoning as to why randomized teams made sense instead of letting the kids choose partners. Because of the number of students, one of the matches was set to be a three on three. Most of the class was directed to an observation room as Bakugo, Iida, Midoriya, and Uraraka took their positions. The pressure was on for them as the first group without even looking at the personal fight that unfolded before everyone. It seemed like the four personalities guided every action the trainees took. The exam came to an explosive climax as the green haired boy broke his arm again to secure victory. His power gave Uraraka the opening she needed to hit the fake bomb with a flying hug.

'Cute.' was the thought that passed through most of the boys, and some of the girls', heads. Their attention came back to Izuku on screen. He had fallen over onto his side. Hakua was staring at the discolored limb that was clearly broken. 'Just like his finger yesterday and back at the exams.' His frown was small, only a corner of his lip slipping down. The robot gurney carried the lad off to the nurse's office as All Might brought the rest of the group in to go over the results. Momo Yaoyorozu gave quite a thorough and detailed breakdown of the simulation. She went over the faults the contestants had shown and explained why she thought Iida deserved the title of MVP. Since the building had suffered unexpected damage, everyone was moved to another one in the city.

Going into the next round, it seemed like the student body had been infected by Izuku's energy of going all out. All Might wondered if each hero candidate would take it to a similar level and worried about how he would explain it all to Recovery Girl. The battle, if one could refer to it as such, that took place between Ojiro, Hagakure, and Todoroki was over in an instant. The entire building was covered in a layer of ice produced by the hetero chromatic teen. He froze both his opponents in that one move, was allowed to capture the bomb without further conflict, then began melting his ice. The boy had overwhelmed everyone without the aid of his teammate. The legend found it hard to coach the lad after that show of force, but reminded him that it was a team exercise and he should always consult with the people working around him if there is time.

**Just outside one of the buildings - Five minutes before the start of the third round**

Kimito found himself paired up with a girl he hadn't talked to yet. He had definitely noticed her in class, but they had yet to interact one on one. She stood with a natural hunch to her back, hands drooping out in front of her body. Giving it a bit of thought, the braided teen couldn't remember her name specifically, but did recall that she had scored quite well during the quirk apprehension test. That extremely long tongue aside, he figured that her quirk boosted some physical attributes as a side effect, but that probably wasn't the point of it. The two looked at each other for about a minute just going over what they thought they knew in their heads. The young lady with the styled hair made the first move.

"It's nice to be working with you Llargo-san. I'm Tsuyu Asui. Please call me Tsuyu-chan." She greeted him with an unchanging expression. The hero costume she saw didn't give the young frog an idea of how Kimito fought. The boy was wearing a white jacket tied to his waist by a black sash. His hakama was crisply pleated. All in all, her teammate's body was covered without showing off physical characteristics. "I don't know much about the two we're up against other than what little everyone saw yesterday." Her finger poked into her cheek as she let him know about a lack of information.

"Ah. I also go by my first name Tsuyu-san. Please call me Kimito." He let the girl know how to call him. Kimito didn't know much about their opponents himself. While he had talked with Kirishima at lunch, they hadn't gone into their powers and how they worked. He let Asui know that he was about as much in the dark as herself. He did let her know that of the two, the red head seemed more muscular than the boy wearing the helmet with a one way visor. Since the two didn't have much to go on, they instead summarized their own powers and how they would like this to play out. Tsuyu's ability to stick to walls interested Kimito the most. He told her that that ability might just be the game winner for them. A horn blared letting the hero team know that they were clear to enter the building. According to a plan the two had just finished agreeing on, Kimito entered through the front door while Tsuyu climbed along the outside to look for a window she could slip in through higher up. If the villain team didn't guard the bomb and came to subjugate the heroes, she would most likely enter the building behind them and be clear to take an easy win. If the boys had decided on a defensive battle in front of the objective, then the heroes would meet up and take them on directly. Considering Kimito didn't come across anyone on his way up, and Tsuyu's confirmation that there was a door that wouldn't open on the top floor, it looks like the villains decided to play defense.

Now Kimito's physical strength wasn't on the same level as his older brother's. It was above the average person's, but he also couldn't force the door open when he tried. "Alright." He whispered to his teammate. "If we stand back a bit, I can force the door open with my quirk. We don't know what they've done inside the room to protect the bomb." He started laying out a new plan for them.

**With Kirishima and Sero**

Honestly, the boys didn't know what to expect. They hadn't seen much during the quirk apprehension test yesterday,and Kirishima's talk with the siblings back at lunch didn't reveal anything about how those laser eyes worked either. He was beginning to regret not at least scouting out the fighting potential of his opponents in some kind of delaying battle. All Might might call that an excellent strategy, but the muscular teen thought it would be unmanly to do so. Sero was quick to point out that his quirk would be best used for defending the bomb and the room. When the door leading in exploded off the hinges, the two thought that Bakugo had snuck into their simulation. The blast stunned Sero who was standing closer to the bomb, but Kirishima prepared for someone to come charging through the smoke. No one did. Two beams of toxic light did come rushing from the smoke however. Both were coming straight at the red head, so he hardened himself and crossed his arms in front of his face. To his surprise, one beam changed course and made a sweeping arc towards Sero behind him. The one coming at his head dipped suddenly and he felt a dull impact in the center of his abdomen. His braced feet were forced back a bit, but he otherwise took no damage when the light fizzled out. Sero in the back was running away from the laser, but it continued to follow him. When he turned, it turned with him. It looked like a heat seeking missile in a way. The taller boy got his attention when called out for what he should do about this. Instead of answering, Kirishima charged at the door to take out the source. The smoke was almost fully gone, but there wasn't anyone standing in the door when the lad reached it. Looking outside, the red head saw Kimito alone at the end of the hallway.

One of his eyes was connected to the laser leading into the room. The other was twitching as it focused on the boy running at him. In the back of his mind, Eijiro wondered where the other hero was, "Come at me Kimito!" He yelled at the kid with some kind of guided laser quirk. The remaining laser wobbled and fizzled away without any kind of explosion. The braided boy blinked quickly and took a fighting stance, but…

**BRRRRNN**

The sound of the signal horn cut them both off. In their communicator pieces, both students were told that the hero team had won. Kimito crossed his arms over his chest with that triumphant grin coming back to him. His classmate's shocked expression still hadn't changed. After a few minutes, Tsuyu and Sero emerged from the bomb room. A bit of poking from the two of them unfroze Kirishima, and they all headed into the observation room for debriefing.

**At the observation room**

All four students received some form of praise from their teacher upon arrival. "**Those were some excellent plans and actions you zygotes**." All Might declared. The class gave them a round of applause for the tidy operation. Quick as it was, it had been more of a show than Todoroki's round and less brutal than Midoriya's. The simulation had been something that everyone could really get behind. "**While there certainly is more that could have been done by our villain team this round… Is there anyone who would like to lead the discussion from here?**" His booming voice addressed everyone.

The one who was most confused about the trial struck first. His muscled arm shot into the air before anyone else was able to speak. "I don't understand!" Kirishima shouted out. "How did we even lose in the first place? How could Kimito be guiding his lasers if he was out in the hallway not even looking at us?" The questions that plagued him and a few of the unobservant types.

"You didn't notice?" Yaoyorozu asked.

"Course not Yaomomo." Ashido cut in. "If he had, the hero team would've had to fight harder. Right Ei-chan?" She teased him with her hands on her hips.

"**Ahem.**" All Might called them back to the matter at hand.

Kimito stepped forward, "So, I'll explain a bit about my quirk."

* * *

U.A. File.02 Class No.12 Kimito Llargo _Quirk_ \- Roaming Laser Eyes. By concentrating the energy of his spirit, Kimito can fire beams of light from his eyes. His sight travels along the tip of the lasers, and he can guide them by changing where he is looking. The laser doesn't always explode on contact, but it has been shown to produce weak explosions.

* * *

"I used it to distract you guys." Kimito explained with a shrug.

Standing off to the side in her relaxed pose, the girl with frog features remembered how the boy in white had told her to take advantage of the chaos he'd create. She slipped into the room under the cover of the smoke and immediately scaled the wall towards the ceiling. Sero was too busy avoiding being hit while Kirishima went after where Kimito was standing. It had been a simple matter to drop in on the fake bomb in her own kind of flying hug. Not too many people were able to notice it though. Tsuyu thought it was pretty impressive how her teammate made everyone play at his pace. Apparently the red headed teen had come close to turning it all around, but the eldest Asui trusted in the braided lad as much as he her. It had been her job to finish things quickly without worrying about the rear guard.

Once the explanations and questions had been settled, an oppressive energy filled the observation room. Coming up next was something just about everyone had been looking forward to. The fact that the class couldn't just be split up into five equal groups of two had led to this. All of the rounds before had showcased four trainees going head to head. What the heck was going to happen when All Might let six of them loose?


	3. Chapter 3

BNHA - Arrancar Chronicles: Chapter 3

* * *

Previously on Arrancar Chronicles, All Might has taken class 1-A out for combat training over at Ground Beta. His successor, Izuku Midoriya, was able to carve out a victory for his team at the cost of his arm once again. Young Todoroki easily captured his objective with an overwhelming show of force. Team Kimito and Tsuyu, however, showed everyone how to take the win with skill. Now the class is eager to see what the three on three match will look like. Will the hero groups continue to dominate this battle trial, or will a villain team sneak away victorious?

* * *

**At Ground Beta - with the hero team**

Kaminari and Jiro eyed up the unfamiliar addition to their team. He was wearing a full cloak that covered down to his boots, so all they could see of him was his head and feet. Neither of the two had spoken with the boy before today. 'How is he going to fit in this scenario with us?' Is the thought they shared.

"If I'm not mistaken, you two already know each other quite well." Fumikage Tokoyami opened the floor with a spot on assumption. His teammates confirmed it with a nod. "Well, you may call me Tokoyami. My quirk is called Dark Shadow, and he is best used at mid and long range." At his mention the shadow entity appeared from beneath the garments. It gave a quick wave. "Dark Shadow can perform both offensive and defensive maneuvers." The bird headed teen explained. After Tokoyami's summary, Jiro and Kaminari followed up with details about themselves and how they fought. The three looked at each other oddly without anyone really declaring themselves in command. Before they knew it, the horn sounded off for them to enter the building.

The hero group entered in a single file line with the electric blonde, Kaminari, taking point. He checked the end of each hallway before motioning for his team to continue following. When they reached the stairs leading to the second floor. Jiro coughed to let the boys know it was time to check. She crouched down next to the wall as Tokoyami hid her behind Dark Shadow. "I hear two people shuffling near the top floor, and one person running down stairs." As the team scout, it had been made her responsibility to make sure no one got the drop on them. Kaminari snorted that it was stupid to think that one person would be able to handle all three of them at the same time. Tokoyami thought whoever was coming must be confident in their ability. His mind went to Yaoyorozu who had scored highest in the quirk apprehension test. Knowing that one villain was on the way, the heroes continued onto the second floor.

As this was a match between more students, All Might had deemed it fair to give the actual drill extra time but left the preparation time the same. It would be harder on the vilain team to try waiting it out on defense, but extra hands go a long way. It would be wise of them to attempt some kind of split tactics and regroup around the middle or end. They just had to be sure to avoid letting themselves get outnumbered through capture.

About halfway through the second floor, Tokoyami noticed that the girl behind him was having trouble keeping up. He asked her if she was okay. "Do you guys think it's getting a bit harder to breathe?" She panted. Kaminari seemed confused. They hadn't been traveling long enough for Jiro to be so out of breath.

"Perhaps it is some kind of gas attack." The avian presented a theory to go along with who he thought was pursuing them. "Yaoyorozu-san is capable of producing many things, yes? Perhaps we should rush past the area affected." His logic was sound, but Jiro wasn't too convinced. It didn't make sense that the two in front wouldn't be feeling this. She shook her head to clear the fog and decided to check for enemies.

The two up top weren't moving as much as before, but were still in the same general space. The runner was somewhere on the third floor. She told her team what she could hear. The rocker girl caught her breath and they all proceeded. In a few moments, the boys felt a heaviness in their legs that they both chalked up to nerves as they marched on. The formation leader took a peak at the stairs leading to the third and almost gasped. A terribly oppressive feeling settled onto all three heroes in an instant. He had been standing right there at the top of the stairs with his energy blanketing the area. A clump of fear built up in Kaminari's stomach. He let his group know that it was go time. The blonde charged out in front. He couldn't use his quirk at all if he was close to his teammates.

Hakua, who had been waiting for the heroes, prepared his left hand to fire as he watched Jiro also come around the corner. The earlobes that had caught his attention at lunch were now extended all the way to her feet. Light began gathering in his palm to blow his fellow blonde away, but the energy shattered when he was hit by a sonic wave. His vision seemed to dance and swirl as the attack shook him. Denki wasted no time in bringing out the capture tape. Hakua clenched his right into a fist and shook his head. From his left came a quick laser that hadn't been charged. It hit his would be capturer in the chest and sent him tumbling down the stairs. Tokoyami sent Dark Shadow flying up to prevent his squadmate from injury. Another quick shot came down at Jiro. Dark Shadow got in the way, crying out a bit when the light hit him. When the heroes looked up at the top, the boy in white was gone.

Recovery was completely unnecessary for them. Kaminari reported no damage and Dark Shadow was good to go as well. The team peaked into every room they passed on the third floor to avoid ambush. Jiro said that the shuffling on the fifth floor was still there, but Hakua must have been standing still somewhere. Tokoyami had switched to take the front and reported that the next hallway was extremely dark. It looked like their opponent had broken the lights on his way up. Jiro plugged into the wall again. For a second, she only heard the distant shuffling. All at once, a deep, bass sound went off, followed by a lot of glass crunching underfoot. "Guys some…" Hakua appeared right at the corner. It was the same move he'd used in the 50m dash. "thing's coming!"

"You're the most dangerous one." the teen declared as he vanished again. Tokoyami felt a bit of air whistle in his feathers and turned to look behind him. Hakua had all of his weight leaned forward in a punch that buried itself in Jiro's stomach. The girl looked out of it and the golden boy wasted no time in wrapping her in his own capture tape. Dark Shadow rushed out again after him only to eat a handful of light with an explosion as a side dish. That bass sound went off again as Hakua disappeared. Kaminari faintly heard the glass being disturbed again. In their communicator, everyone heard All Might declare the dark haired girl out of the match. The blonde and the bird took one look at each other and rushed after Hakua. With all three of them together, they hadn't worried about how much time it would take to catch the bomb. Once they were in the room, surely one of them or Dark Shadow would be able to reach the objective. Now, it wasn't looking so good.

The boys reached the top floor without further incident. Tokoyami theorized that the hit and run attacks had been just to tire them out or waste their time. It had kind of worked, but the remaining heroes were fighting fit. There wasn't much that could stop them if they worked together. Testing the door, they found it barricaded by some kind of metal plates. The villain team sure wasn't making this easy on them. "How about we take a page from Kimito's book?" The electric boy said with a grin. Dark Shadow came forth once more with a smirk of his own. The fellows stood back as the entity rubbed its hands together and punched through the wall beside the door.

**In the observation room**

All Might stifled his laughter while the class behind him rang out with an "EH?" There was no way the teacher could admonish the hero team. In a way, it was exactly what he would have done.

**With Tokoyami and Kaminari**

When the dust settled, the first thing the heroes noticed was a stunned Yaoyorozu and Mineta. Over on the far side, Hakua was sitting down against the wall. 'Resting?' Thought the cloaked teen. An approaching laser said otherwise. Kaminari moved away from the hole as Dark Shadow tanked the laser again. With his support down for a second, Yaoyorozu took the chance to use a net gun on the master. Even though he wasn't good at close range fighting, it was easy enough to avoid the straightforward attempt.

"Why are there two bombs?" A sudden shout from his teammate prompted a better look around the room. It was true. There were two fake bombs in the room, or at least bomb shaped objects. It looked like the purple balls that Mineta had used during the apprehension test were used to cover both to prevent a proper identification. There were stains of blood around the tiny boy's head. "Which one do you think is right dude?" The blonde took off as a laser was shot at him. Time had to be running out. Hakua had slowed them down with skirmishes, and now Momo and Mineta were giving them some kind of magic show. Their team had been suppressed at every turn.

The boys dodged around every attack until Tokoyami suddenly couldn't move his foot. Looking down he saw another purple ball attaching him to the floor. Mineta had bounced back and forth on these things, but he was stuck like a dinosaur in a tar pit. "Kaminari!" The boy yelled for his teammate. He had no clue how much time was left, but the mature girl could easily walk over to capture him like this. The lasers hadn't stopped being fired at the blonde, but he made his way over. Dark Shadow came out and offered its arms to him. The electric teen didn't know what he had in mind, but any plan is better than no plan. Right?

"AHHhhh!" Denki yelled out as the shadow threw him. Yes, threw him towards the fake bomb closest to Hakua. 'If he's guarding it, then it's this one.' Yaoyorozu took another shot with the net gun, but her inexperience reared its head. The girl didn't know how to lead the shot.

"No!" She called out with wide eyes. Hakua lightly charged up both his hands and shot after the blonde as well. Just like with the softball, the lasers collided early and Kaminari was propelled by the shock wave. It had knocked him a bit off of Dark Shadow's original aim, but he still landed on the side of the fake bomb. Denki's body was stuck just like Tokoyami's leg, and he wondered if this counted considering he wasn't actually touching it.

Everyone was frozen in place. Well, the stuck boys were stuck, but the villains didn't move either. Suddenly Mineta started laughing cruelly. "How sad. How pathetic. How feeble your efforts are, heroes!" He mocked them like a true villain. "That is the fake bomb I asked Yaoyorozu to build! Now both of you are captured in my web." He jumped up on a large crate as he pointed at where Kaminari was stuck. "All according to my plan." He struck a pose with one hand on his hip and the other covering his face. His wide smile couldn't be hidden though.

**Class 1-A - Late afternoon **

The battle trials finished up with a clean match between Sato, Koda, Mina, and Aoyama. Koda's inability to communicate with his teammate aside, everyone had put their best foot forward in the exercise. All Might was overflowing with praise for the students. He let them know that there was plenty of room for growth and that they should reflect on their actions further to find the path to their goals. The legend sped off with a command to dress in and return to class. Some of the students wondered why he didn't wait to walk back with them, but it was all right. It was All Might. He probably still had something to prepare for the class tomorrow.

When it became clear that the rest of the day would be open for the students, the invisible girl excitedly suggested that they do their reflection assignment together. Off in a corner, someone mentioned that it probably wasn't meant to be actual classwork, just helpful advice. That voice went unnoticed as others were taken in by the energetic young lady. Bakugo, however, silently put his things together and prepared to head home. The explosive teen had been muted since his loss to Izuku and Ochako. He and Todoroki slipped away without much notice while a certain muscle man approached the two brothers.

"Man, your costume showed off your muscles, but I didn't think you'd be strong enough to down somebody with one punch." Sato began. Hakua had been wearing a white, short sleeve jacket with his chest completely exposed. "I'm Rikido Sato by the way. You guys can call me Sato." He introduced himself with a smile.

"It's nice to meet you Sato-san." Kimito returned the smile.

"Yeah. Over here too." The elder said. "I mean, it's a pleasure to meet you." He panned over to the braided boy with his mouth agape. "I thought you were going to say something different." His brother kept laughing at him, so he calmed down. Hakua looked back to the teen towering over him. "Uhh, people in our family are naturally strong, but I do work out regularly." He talked a bit about his routine, which actually focused more on his legs. "Knowing how to fight is how I get even more force out on my hits." An intimidating look enveloped his dark face. His golden hair did nothing to ease Sato's thought that the smaller kid could do a lot of damage.

From the side, Jiro approached. "Oh yeah? You study like kung fu or something?" She made a pose. Ojiro coughed to remind everyone that his hero costume wasn't for show. The rocker girl clapped her hands together in apology. "Uhh… Anyway, that punch really hurt, but that speed was something else."

"Oh. You mean Nii-san's Sonido." Kimito filled in. Iida came over to join in on the discussion. He had been watching Hakua closely since the guy beat his time on the 50m dash. He asked how it was possible to be faster than someone with a speed enhancing quirk. "Well, Sonido is a family technique. It was taught to us by the Fracciones." At this, everyone listening seemed lost. Tsuyu, Momo, Denki, and Kirishima had no idea what Kimito thought he had explained. The golden boy gave his little brother a pinch. "It's high speed running." Jiro remembered the sound of glass crunching and Tokoyami, the feeling of wind. Ashido countered that it looked like Hakua had been warping.

"That's what it'll look like when I master it." Hakua said confidently. "Our uncle can do it so fast that you'd see like twenty different afterimages of him." The class tried to picture 20 Hakuas running around the trial building. "Afterimages guys. I'd be the only solid one." He chuckled. "I can only use it to go in straight lines. Forward, backward, and side to side."

"So you can fight, run, and shoot?" Came Tsuyu's croaking question. Kimito did a circular motion with his hands to indicate that it was the other way around. Shooting lasers from his hands was his brother's quirk. "Can you do the same Kimito-chan?" The boy in question shook his head. He told her that they had taken different routes on training. Kimito had spent the most time on concentration. It was necessary for charging, maintaining, and for him, guiding his laser. Ojiro mentioned that Kirishima and Jiro must have broken the boys concentration with their yell and sonic blast respectively.

"Nah. My focus is good enough to release the beam without it hitting something." The lad pulled the tail of his braid up onto his shoulder. "Nii-san trained in a variety of family skills to dominate fights, but his hold breaks easier."

The classmates continue on discussing their powers and how they had used them in the battle trial. Kaminari lamented his inability to shine, while Mineta continued to gloat over him. Izuku returned from Recovery Girl, noticed a lack of Bakugo, and ran out after him. The two had some kind of confrontation/confession near the school gate. 'That boy is really slow at walking home isn't he.'

**Side story - Battle trial third round preparation phase**

Leading up to their round, Hakua, Momo, and Mineta hadn't done much stategizing. They had been too busy watching the other students on the monitor, and Momo participated in every discussion afterwards. She wasted no time in getting introductions out of the way on the way up to the bomb room. Her quirk left little to be desired. It was literally the most versatile in the group, in the class, hell probably in the whole school as well. Minete's eyes had shined with a look that worried Hakua when the creative girl mentioned that her skin needed to be exposed for bigger objects. At her insistence, the short boy told his squad how his power worked. He didn't seem confident enough to be an option during the inevitable fight, but the heiress said his quirk could be useful. Hakua told the two that playing defense wasn't a real option this time. Fighting the heroes before they reached the top floor was a must. The way his body was eagerly shaking kind of took away the credibility of his statement even though it was true.

"Is this what 'itching for a fight' looks like?" The question came before Mineta could stop himself. The straight haired teen didn't deny the indirect accusation. He figured that he might be solo in the early game. Jiro and Kaminari were complete unknowns to the whole team. Tokoyami had found some use for that shadow bird, but the villains were in the dark about its limitations.

Momo made Hakua some extra capture tape just before the horn sounded off. He left saying that he would try to take out whoever he thought was the most dangerous. About eight minutes later, the scout reported that Kaminari didn't use his quirk in their encounter, but Hakua reasoned that the sonic girl was going to be his priority. Suddenly, it was as if a light bulb went off above the tiniest member.

"What if we do something like an old comic?" Yaoyorozu was visibly confused. "Do you think you could make a second one of these?" That confusion switched to alarm. The girl grilled his intentions over asking for a nuke. "Not a real one." He waved his hands quickly, and told her of a chance to fool their opponents. The boy was then treated to the sight of Momo creating a large, fake bomb. She hadn't let him see anything, but his imagination ran wild. When it was done, they worked together to place it a fair distance away from the door and the original. When Hakua returned after subduing Jiro, he didn't ask which one was real. He might give it away by protecting it harder. The golden boy advised Mineta to trap both with his quirk in case one of the heroes decided to just go for broke. In the end, it was all according to plan.

* * *

**AN**: Double release because I can't make myself conform to an update schedule. Gonna get right to work on chapter four since I'm off for the next two days.


	4. Chapter 4

BNHA - Arrancar Chronicles: Chapter 4

* * *

Huecojima; An unclaimed, desert island in the Sea of Japan. To the informed, it is known to have been the ancestral home of the powerful Arrancar family. 80 years ago, the people there came into conflict with Japan, North Korea, South Korea, and China. The destruction that ensued affected much more than the People's Army and the early heroes of that time. Years of fighting also pushed the Arrancar to near extinction. Only whispers of devastating power and a desert castle remain in the hearts of those able to remember.

* * *

**Musutafu, Japan**

They hadn't been able to afford much. All things considered, the two didn't actually need a lot to begin with. Hakua and Kimito are early teenagers and thus, had few possessions that needed to be brought along. The laser boys had more or less arrived in Japan with their clothes, bedding, some cooking utensils, and a map that led to an apartment complex. Almost three months ago, Mrs. Suzuha Takahashi had received and directed them to a 1K that had been prepared for their arrival. The landlady was an older widow who frequently checked on the boys to make sure they were eating properly now that they were living away from home. If there was anything to complain about concerning the place, it was the bathroom. Hakua dearly missed the large bath they had left behind. There was just no way for him to squeeze into it with Kimito. At this rate, he'd have to wait until the summer holidays to bathe with his little brother.

The golden haired boy went through his morning routine with ease in the little dwelling. Kimito was sitting in a lotus position next to his folded futon with his eyes closed. He was wearing his uniform pants, but not his shirt and blazer. His chest rose and fell rhythmically. Hakua didn't disturb the meditating boy as he folded his own futon and went to the bathroom. About ten minutes later, he came out with clean teeth and moisturized skin and hair. Next, he moved around the wall into the kitchen. The elder knew nothing fancy was about to come out of him for their lunches, so he made some light sandwiches and cut them into halves with an assortment of vegetables they had on hand. Packed and ready, he returned to Kimito. Hakua kissed his little brother's forehead and told him to put his shirt on because it was time to go. On their way out, he tested each window to be sure that they were locked, and Kimito gave the door a final wiggle just in case.

"You boys are always so diligent. It's so nice to see young ones being responsible in this time of superpowers." A cheerful voice greeted them on the walkway. The brothers lived a couple doors down from Mrs. Takahashi, but she met every morning on a rocking chair near hers. "You two be safe out there today, okay?"

"Yes ma'am. Thank you Mrs. Takahashi." The lads echoed politely.

**On the walk to school**

The boys found themselves finishing their walk into school with the Deku squad. Hakua asked after the green teen's arm, to which he found that the boy would be visiting the nurse before classes start. Everyone in the group was a bit surprised to see a crowd of adults blocking the entrance gate. The amount of professional cameras and microphones identified them as being members of the press. They approached the students with wild energy. Izuku tried fumbling out his excuse of needing the nurse, but could barely get past the horde. Ochako's empty statement made the lot lose interest in her. Tenya came through with the distraction everybody needed while Kimito began helping Midoriya through. The braided teen's wrist was caught by a middle aged man who had put his mike away. "Aren't you one of the students who came from Huecojima?" A harsh whisper came from him. Kimito's eyes widened in surprise. "What are you doing back in Japan?" The older man's brow furrowed and his teeth gnashed together. He looked like he was ready to deck the boy.

"Get your hands off my baby brother!" Hakua cut in with an expression that promised pain. His usual shining demeanor was stormy and twitching, but he didn't raise his voice. His hand landed on the offending arm as he bared his teeth. Izuku worried if lightning was about to strike. The class had informed him that the golden boy was packing a one-hit KO punch just like him.

"The Arrancar have returned to Japan!" The man yelled to his fellows. He let go of Kimito's wrist, and showcased how Hakua was holding him. "The Arrancar are here to terrorize the Japanese people again!" The boy in question released his grip, but the damage had been done. Too many cameras had focused in on the adult's words, the raised arm, and his face. It was a cheap trap, and his protective side had made him jump for the bait before he could think. Hakua covered his face with his hand, and rushed into the gates of the school. Everyone else followed behind in varying levels of shock.

Once they were out of sight of the gates and the media, Hakua grabbed Kimito in a full force hug. The Deku squad's eyes bugged out at the development. None of them had an idea what to say or where to look. Honestly, they weren't sure what the heck was going on. "I'm sorry Kimito. I reacted way too quickly. I couldn't think once I saw him look at you like that." Hakua was shaking against his little brother. "I messed everything up not even a month into school." He said with his face buried in Kimito's neck.

The braided boy rubbed circles into his elder's back and responded. "It's my fault too." His voice was soothing. He took a deep breath in and let it go. "I was caught off guard, and didn't deny his assumption." They stayed like that for a bit longer while their classmates watched awkwardly. "Sensei and the principal are gonna need to know about this." Both boys let out a sigh. Kimito let the others know that they would meet back up in class. The brothers walked away hand in hand as the three contemplated what they had seen.

**1-A Classroom - at the start of homeroom**

It was clear to see which of the students were attached to their phones by the way they acted when Hakua and Kimito were called to the head of the room. Aizawa had said that the two needed to share something with everyone before they got the wrong impression from whatever story the news was pushing. Mina had seen the headlines, a couple pictures, and a short video on her device. Jiro and Yaoyorozu had full on read the article attached together and were a bit worried about who their classmates actually were. Hakua was frowning from behind the podium even though Kimito was holding his hand underneath.

"So, umm.. It looks like a few of you already saw the news. That guy really worked fast to get that story out there, huh?" The elder brother tried to ease the tense looks the ones in the know were showing him. There were a few mutters of what's going on, but no one relaxed. "Kimito and I, well mostly me, got into it with some of the press out by the gate on our way in this morning." He started.

"The guy who raised his arm up in the picture had grabbed my wrist a bit earlier and asked me some uncomfortable questions. Nii-san stepped in to my defense. That is what the pictures and videos are all about." Kimito filled in what happened. He told everyone that no quirks were used and no punches thrown.

In her seat near the back, Momo raised her hand. She posed a question after being acknowledged. "The article I read said that you two are Arrancar. What is that? Why is it important?"

The boys shared a look in front of the class as if trying to decide how much they needed to tell in order to explain properly. They nodded as one. "We are Arrancar." Hakua confirmed.

"Some of the last descendents. We don't know if there are anymore outside of our immediate family." Kimito supported. Kirishima let the two know that he didn't understand what all that meant. The braided teen scratched the back of his neck nervously and squeezed his brother's hand again. "About 80 years ago, our family went to war with the surrounding countries." He dropped a bombshell on the class. "It was called the Arrancar War. Maybe you heard a little about it in history class?" The lack of response made his eyes narrow. Was anybody paying attention in that class?

Hakua took over from there. "It wasn't good for either side. Technically our family went extinct because of it. Grandfather was born a few months after the dust settled, and his line is the only confirmed one." The golden kid had a far off look on his face. "Anyway, there is still bad blood between the affected families and people from Huecojima. That reporter is taking advantage of history to bring up an old fight." The class let that information sink into them. To some it was a bit hard to digest that their classmates were from some kind of ex-hostile, family army. Now the mental image of a hundred Kimitos and Hakuas going wild went through a few heads. "But that isn't what we're about. Kimito and I came to Japan to become heroes. We promised to show the world that there isn't a reason to be afraid of or hateful towards us anymore." He declared with a fire burning in his eyes.

Explanation and reassurances out of the way, Aizawa told the class that he needed them to pick class representatives. A new kind of chaos ensued, but that would sort itself out soon enough. Iida's loud voice rang out calling everyone to order. His recommendation of voting for the positions had its pros and cons, but everyone agreed to it. In spite of the earlier situation, Kimito looked over to his elder brother. "Do you want it?" Hakua read the boy like a book. That braid of his bounced up with his nod. "Then I'll vote for you." A couple other people tried asking to be voted for, or offered a ridiculous campaign promise in the case of Mineta. When the results were tallied up, Kimito had come out on top with four votes with Momo right behind him at three votes. The other students had a smattering of 1s, 2s, and 0s.

**Cafeteria - later that day**

All things considered, not many of the students had heard of what went down at the gates yet. The Arrancar brothers had expected to be given a fearful, wide berth when they went to have lunch with most of the class. Yaoyorozu did seem a bit standoffish even though she and Kimito had been elected to work together as the heads of class, but that could be worked on with time. It would have been much harder to reassure the entire student body who didn't have previous experience with the two. That being said, Hakua still agonized over the negative image that had been made of him. In their meeting before class, Principal Nezu had said it would be difficult to erase the mental image once it took root in someone.

Curiously enough, the boys found themselves in the company of Iida, Midoriya, and Uraraka once again. The group was a bit surprised to find that they could still have such a light conversation together after this morning's fiasco. It must have had something to do with the gravity girl's airy nature. As they chattered about, it was revealed that the Deku squad had in fact voted for Izuku, but the boy in question had had other thoughts. "Honestly, I was going to vote for you Hakua-san." He stated with a light blush. "You helped me out back in the entrance exam, were going to defend me at the apprehension test from Kacchan, and you moved to protect Kimito-san this morning." Izuku nervously played with his hands. The kid's red cheeks seemed to intensify as he went on. "It's like you're some kind of natural big brother. I thought it would be nice if someone like you was the class representative." Iida and Uraraka watched the confession with wide eyes. They had been at each of those moments as well, but it hadn't taken to heart like it had with Izuku.

Hakua took his classmate's praise with a straight face. "Thank you Midoriya-san. That's quite sweet of you to say, but I was one of the few people with zero votes." He thanked him as well as called attention to that detail. The quirk inheritor fumbled a bit, but managed to get out that he heard Hakua say he was going to vote for Kimito. Rather than give his vote to someone that didn't want the position, Izuku had gone with the blonde's choice. The braided teen thanked Izuku for his support with a light bowing of his head.

Everyone was about halfway through their meals when a loud ringing went off around the entire school. "**There has been a Level 3 security breach**." A digital, female voice called out to the kids. "**All students please evacuate outdoors promptly**." The voice repeated its message while Iida asked a nearby upperclassmen about the meaning of the alarm. Absolute mayhem came about as kids from every year rose and rushed towards the exit.

Kimito also rose, but he didn't leave the table. "CLASS 1-A DON'T MOVE!" He shouted out, catching the attention of his fellows. Pink lightning flickered around his eyes before he let loose his lasers towards the roof of the cafeteria. The light split two separate ways without hitting the ceiling, came back towards the user, and dissipated into particles. Few students besides the addressed 1-A had noticed it. The kids came together in the much emptier lunch room.

"Kimito-san, the announcement said to evacuate. I don't think we should be staying here much longer. Also, I cannot condone the use of your quirk in an attempt to bring order. What if the other students thought that was an intruder's attack?" Iida was quick as ever on his take of what was going on.

The young Arrancar looked around the gathered students. He met the eyes of everyone from his class. "Iida-san, no matter who is intruding on the school grounds, I'm not too worried unless they bring an army with them. Even if they did, I like our chances best with all of our powers concentrated. Plus I can get a headcount in best right now instead of in that crowded hallway over there." He directed everyone's attention to the stampede at the exit. "You are right about my quirk though. It was just to let everyone know where to come. Has anyone seen Aoyama-san? He isn't here." Kimito let them know he was one student short. Momo told him that she had seen the french boy set up his lunch in class, so she reasoned he might still be there.

"I think we should do something to help out the other students." Jiro came in with a suggestion. "They look like a mosh pit over there, but I bet no one is following the rules." She warned. At her request, Yaoyorozu began making some bandages in case someone got hurt. Izuku let out a whisper that they should probably figure out what was going on. The engine quirk user, who had been standing beside him, moved to the windows and saw that the press had stormed on campus with Present Mic and their homeroom teacher trying to hold them back. Hakua's face darkened more when it became known that the reporters were causing trouble again. Shoji checked on the situation in the hall with his dupli-arms, and said nobody had a clue as to what was going on.

"Okay. I have a plan." The class rep approached the group. He asked Ochako for permission to use her quirk on Iida. Then he had Shoji, as the tallest boy, give the weightless teen a toss to the head of the hallway. From there, Iida was able to get the attention of the mob of students and let them know that nothing was amiss.

**At the class - A few days later**

Just as the class was settling into the routine of the hero course, their homeroom teacher let them know that today's hero training would be special. Rescue training in a variety of environments that would be overseen by himself, All Might, and a third teacher. He gave the class the freedom to wear their costumes or not. Everyone but Izuku and the Arrancar brothers took him up on it. When questioned why not by their peers, Midoriya stated it would be a while before repairs were finished. Hakua and Kimito, however, "Our costumes are kind of just aesthetic at this point." The boys told. "They aren't armor like Iida-san's, nor do they help us use our powers like Bakugo-san and Yaoyorozu-san." The trainees loaded up onto the bus with a light hearted mood. Some of them were overflowing with eagerness to get to such an essential part of heroism. The ride was filled with conversation ranging from Izuku's powers being similar to All Might's, to how difficult it would be for Bakugo to reach high on the popularity aspect.

Tsuyu reiterated how she would say whatever is on her mind. "So both of you have laser quirks, but they come out differently. Even though you are brothers."

Hakua let the frog girl and the rest of the class know that he and Kimito were actually cousins, but had been raised as brothers. "Our lasers are a family quirk. It's passed down to every member, but manifests in different ways." He explained how it was common for the light to come from a user's hands or mouth, and that Kimito's eyes were extremely rare. Mina asked if that meant that Aoyama was somehow related to the brothers. "As far as I know, our family has never been to France. No one in the current generations can shoot from their stomach, but Uncle Stark is skilled enough to use his laser from his chest." The dark boy let her know that he didn't think there was any relation.

Aizawa called the class to attention as they arrived at a large, domed building. 1-A was introduced to Thirteen and the USJ facility that she had designed. The space hero proceeded to give them a relatively quick speech on how some people's powers could easily be lethal unto others. The students were here today to learn about how to use those quirks and skills to save lives. At least, that was the plan.

**Elsewhere - in an office of an unmarked building**

An old man sat alone behind a large, ornate desk. His long, white beard pooled on its surface without disturbing the tea his assistant had just left behind. To his side was a flat screen television with the display divided into twelve sections. One by one, each portion lit up with the image of a person sitting in a room much like his own. Most were male, only one was still in their twenties, but they were all elected officials in some way. They wasted little time greeting each other.

The old man opened the floor. "I assume that you all heard the news. It looks like that family managed to survive, and their progeny have made it here. Have you confirmed their origin?"

No one asked who he was talking to, but a woman responded. "Yes sir. The two are from that island, and have the laser quirk. My subordinates managed to find out when they got to Japan, but not where they are living. It is possible that someone is hiding them." She told the assembly. Nobody questioned her sources or their validity. It was a known fact that she could have just about anyone in the world tailed, shadowed, or tracked in some manner.

The youngest of the group spoke up. "Is a meeting of this level even necessary? It's just two kids. Why does it matter who their ancestors are and where they came from?" It all seemed like a bit much. "Shouldn't we be looking at the reporter and agency that ran the story? News like that could have caused a panic." A few of his associates nodded in agreement. Two kids in the hero course weren't a cause for concern.

"Look into it, but I also want any movement from that island under watch. These two have been here for months without us knowing about it. Make sure something like this doesn't happen again." The old man ordered. He received more nods of acknowledgement and the monitor went dark once again. He let loose a deep sigh. 'They returned.' He thought to himself. In that empty office, memories of how his mother and grandparents talked about the dangerous Arrancar came to mind. 'Don't worry. We'll protect Japan this time.'

* * *

**AN**: Who needs sleep anyway?


	5. Chapter 5

BNHA - Arrancar Chronicles: Chapter 5

* * *

Previously on Arrancar Chronicles, the brothers run into a mysterious reporter on their way into school. He manages to trick Hakua into a compromising position, and spreads a false story on the young hero's reason for being here. Kimito and Hakua tell everyone in class 1-A that the two are from the infamous Arrancar family, and reassure them that their intentions are pure. Later in the week, the group is taken on a special rescue training class, but dark forces are making their moves.

* * *

******Unforeseen**** Simulation Joint**

The entirety of 1-A felt ready for whatever challenges their homeroom teacher and Thirteen had prepared for them. The two adults had some quick conversation about why All Might wasn't in attendance, but only one trainee thought that was cause for concern. Just when it seemed like Thirteen was about to go into the specifics of what the class assignment was, the lights of the building began to flicker. Small arcs of electricity danced between them, but they managed to stay on. Unnoticed by everyone who's attention had been drawn to the lights, the fountain down at the plaza also sputtered. What was noticed by two people was a sudden shift in the air, followed by the chilling sensation of bloodlust. A dark purple, flamelike substance had spread out in the center of the building, and from it came forth a small legion of sinister people. In hindsight, the students would recall that they had mostly been mutant types, heteromorphs with exaggerated features, and people who looked like they had just been picked up from some back alley. As the little army came forth, the three who might be in charge stayed next to the fountain talking to themselves.

Aizawa didn't hesitate to don his signature goggles and command the kids to stay with Thirteen. Even the amicable space hero narrowed her eyes at the intruders. It was a completely different image than the class had formed of the black hole user. In the middle of the group, Kimito looked towards the resident speedster, "Do you remember what I said about not being concerned unless they brought an army?" Iida jumped a bit when he was suddenly addressed, but nodded to let the braided boy know that he remembered. "I'm sorry. I didn't actually think that some villains would." He apologized for tempting the fates with a tense smile. Kirishima thought aloud that bad guys wouldn't actually invade a school for heroes while Momo stepped forward to ask about the sensors. Since they apparently weren't working, the underground hero took on the role of rearguard so everyone else could evacuate.

Before the group could make it halfway across the path to the door, that same vortex that brought the villains appeared to cut them off. Like some kind of classic cartoon, the swirling entity began a monologue of who they were and why they were here. Nobody had ever heard of a League of Villains, but pulling off a stunt like invading U.A. to kill All Might is some pretty high tier stuff. More than one student was already sweating from just the implications of his statement. "Kimito, do you feel anything?" Hakua whispered over to his brother. It looked like Thirteen was preparing to go on the offensive.

Said teen was looking right into those glowing yellow eyes. "A bunch of weaklings behind us, something huge is among them standing still." He reported. "One medium spirit is beside the huge one."

"What about the guy in front of us?"

Kimito was still staring at the teleporter. "I don't feel anything from him." His eyes widened at the development. Even when Bakugo and Kirishima attacked the guy, he couldn't sense anything. When the villain said it was his job to scatter the students, the lighter brother made his call. "EVERYONE! Grab somebody's hand!" The dark substance spread out to envelope the class almost instantaneously. The armored speedster grabbed two of his nearby classmates and ran out of the area affected. Shoji covered a small group with his massive form, and most of the others were holding hands with someone. Kimito went for his brother's hand, but found himself pushed strongly by the very person. "Nii-san!" He yelled as he slid out of the dome. A bit away from him, Iida called out to everyone that had been left behind.

**Fire zone - minutes later**

'How the hell did Thirteen-sensei design this? Geez! Isn't this too much?' His golden hair glimmered in the light of the massive fires. He was somewhat in awe of the constantly active hazard, but wondered what kind of budget allowed something like this to exist. Next to Hakua was the student who had latched onto his hand before the older brother could get Kimito's. Since there wasn't a point in all three of them flying away, he tried using his strength to push the braided boy out of the mist. 'Don't be mad Kimito. Just do what you do best, and we'll meet up on the outside.' Hakua thought to himself. Standing in front of him and Ojiro was a small group who didn't seem too bothered by the heat. "Don't worry Ojiro-san. Kimito assured me that there was only one person in the whole building to worry about. Everyone else will go down easily." He gave his fellow blonde a smile.

Ojiro spared Hakua a quick glance before focusing on the enemies spreading out. Some of them had thick muscles exposed, some looked like regular people, but a couple were covered head to toe even in this blistering heat. He took a fighting stance beside the Arrancar boy, "How would he know something like that?" There had been villains in the plaza and in this contained fire zone. There were probably some in every area as a matter of fact.

"Kimito learned how to sense the spirit power of people back on Huecojima. He can tell how strong someone is by feeling that." Hakua whispered back. The golden boy carefully looked at who seemed to be the weakest of the group and who looked like they packed a heavy punch. "Ready to fight our way out of here?" He asked.

"Can't you use that speed thing to get out of here?" Ojiro recalled how Hakua had used it to run during the battle trials. If he could ride along as well, then they didn't need to fight. They just had to find the exit.

"I can't carry you with me." Hakua seemed to have read his mind. "And I don't know how many more fights there are going to be once we are freed. Sonido will eat up too much stamina if I use it trying to run away blindly." Targets identified, light began to gather in the boy's hands. The villains had waited way too long to make a move. Hakua would make them pay for letting him get the first hit in.

**Back with Kimito**

Kurogiri was quite surprised at the amount of students who had managed to avoid being whisked away by his power. Truly they are golden eggs. They stood in two formations of four with one group having the pro hero, Thirteen. The girls of the group looked especially afraid of him, but even some of the boys were shaking. A boy with black hair braided behind his head was giving him a particularly fierce look. The warp villain thought he saw some kind of lightning gathering at the kid's eyes, but it disappeared when one of his classmates got his attention.

"Thirteen-sensei. Kimito-san. What should we do?" Ochako asked fearfully. She didn't meet the eyes of their enemy, choosing instead to try drawing strength from Thirteen's reliable back. The pro hero made sure that all of the kids were out of her range while Shoji used his senses to confirm that the rest of the students were still in the building. Everyone came together in a solid group, but looked prepared to grab onto each other if mist man tried the same move on them. Thirteen presented young Iida with a mission to run to the school. Her logic dictated that it would be the best course of action rather than the group splitting up to find whoever was blocking external signals. His protests were quickly drowned out as the battle ready students prepared to open the way for him.

"Get ready, Iida-san." Kimito's voice called out to him. The same soothing tone he had used to calm down Hakua after the incident with the press layered over the students. "We've got to do everything we can turn this around." Their enemy made his move in a flash, but Thirteen was ready to suck everything in with her quirk. The area being pulled in was big, but seemed relatively focused. "Take a wide arc around that guy. I'll cover you." The class president whispered to Iida. The boy nodded silently, and started shuffling slowly out of sight. He and everyone else came to a horrified stop when a warp gate appeared behind their teacher and tore the back of her costume into dust. Sato yelled for the 'emergency exit' to hurry it up, so he took off running. When Kurogiri moved to block, Shoji wrapped the mist in all of his arms. It couldn't be contained though, and the villain chased after Iida's back. In a vicious display, the students watched with wide eyes as a beam of pink light pierced through the man's head. "The head isn't solid either!" Kimito shouted in surprise with one eye active. Since his laser hadn't hit, he made it dance around the runner to blow open a hole in the door. "Somebody protect my body." He said to his team surrounding him. Both of his eyes glowed this time. Kimito shot off his lasers, one heading towards where he thought the man's feet were.

"Aim for that metal bit on his neck." Ochako whispered to him. She had barely seen it after Bakugo and Kirishima's attack, but it looked about as much of a weak point as anything. Lucky for them, Kurogiri was still going after the potential escapee. He didn't see the light coming for him, but felt a strong impact nail him in the back of his neck, forcing him to the ground. His narrowed eyes beheld that boy making it through the hole and speeding off. He had failed to contain the students. Tomura would turn him into dust if they lost because of this.

The walking warp gate coughed as he rose to his feet. The one who seemed to have taken command after Thirteen went down was standing with the tallest boy and one of the girls guarding him. His eyes shined with pink lightning again. This time when the beams came, Kurogiri stretched out an arm to warp them back at the class. He was surprised to see the lights split around his vortex and keep coming at him. With wide eyes, he shrouded himself in his mist to obstruct view of himself. The beams passed harmlessly through the smaller dome, but arced up towards the ceiling. The lasers came rushing down through the center and let off a weak explosion when they hit the floor. It wasn't anything compared to the explosive blonde that had attacked him at the start, but Kurogiri couldn't afford to be pinned down here anymore. The League of Villains was officially on a time limit now. All Might wasn't here, a student was going to get reinforcements, and a couple of these kids had a power that just might reach him if he wasn't careful.

The six remaining members of 1-A watched as the dome got smaller until it vanished. They had managed to get Iida out to get help, and made an actual villain retreat. Kimito took a deep breath and told Sato and Shoji to work together to get Thirteen out of the building. Maybe her communicator would work once she was outside the facility. Everyone stopped moving, however, when two beams of light were shot towards the roof of the USJ. The lasers met in the open air and let off an explosion. Kimito's expression shined like a star. "Nii-san!"

**Over in the mountain zone**

Kyoka Jiro couldn't help but think that one hell of a situation had developed here at the mountain zone. When she jacked into the ground to try to get a read on where everybody else was, she found out that their area had the most thugs in it aside from the plaza or whoever was swimming near the shipwreck. Not only was she facing a small army, a lot of these adults were also carrying some kind of weapon. One of them even had a scythe. 'What the hell? Who does that?' She had thought to herself as she asked Momo for a short sword. Luckily none of their opponents seemed to be able to shoot at them from a distance, so the heroes backed up to a wall to make sure no one got the drop on them. Kaminari told the girls that he couldn't be relied on since they were so close together, but the rocker girl definitely found a use for him. One insulated sheet from Yaomomo later, and the electric blonde took care of every idiot in sight. He also became an idiot in the process, but whatever. The girls were preparing to guide him back to the USJ entrance when some muscled asshole burst from the ground and caught their male classmate. He demanded that they surrender to him without resistance. He even noticed when the shorter girl tried to set up her jacks to her boots, and threatened to break the hostage's neck. The two couldn't see a way out of this without the young boy coming to harm.

All four found their eyes drawn to the two red beams of light that rose into the sky and exploded against each other. Kaminari let out an unintelligible sound and gave a thumbs up, but the girls more or less understood. 'Hakua-san.' They thought. Seconds after his explosion, two streams of pink light shot into the sky and circled about the dome a few times before flying towards the mountain zone. The villain didn't know how to react when the lasers came straight for him. They bent around his captive easily, and punched him in his temple and ribs. The surprising amount of pain loosened his grip on the blonde, who escaped in the confusion. All three hero students began running away as he got his wits about him. When he tried to give chase, a new blonde appeared between him and the retreating group. He was wearing a blue jumpsuit with red and white stripes, had dark brown skin, and his own muscular build. The kid didn't say anything as he brought his arms to his side. An eerie, red light gathered in the palms of his hands. The thug reasoned that it was probably going to be an attack like before, and braced himself. He had felt it once, and it wasn't enough to make him lose consciousness. He'd take the shot and aim for the counter. What he wasn't expecting was for the beams to be so much bigger than the pink ones or the explosion that rocked his body when it hit him. His last thought was, 'Right. The ones that went off first, blew up.'

That taken care of, the hero trainees met up with Ojiro, who had been watching their back at Hakua's request. The group moved further away from the mountain zone even though Jiro had plugged into the ground to check for nearby enemies. "What's the plan Yaoyorozu-san?" The tailed hero asked when they formed a small huddle. As the vice president of the class, she was technically in charge. Ojiro had followed Hakua thus far because the boy had confidence and proved his ability to subjugate the villains of the fire zone. Honestly it wasn't hard to believe that a small army of Hakuas would be confident enough to challenge whole nations. The way he had moved between thugs was like an art form. His lasers were streaks of his paintbrush. No one they had left behind was able to resist their martial prowess, but now wasn't a time for fighting. It was a time for planning and authority. The mature girl led the teens in a wide arc around the facility. On their way past the landslide zone, which was still covered in ice patches and frozen villains, Hagakure revealed herself to them. Her floating gloves waved about as she tried to shake off the nervous energy that plagued her. The team was informed that Todoroki had captured everyone here and headed towards the plaza. As they continued past the ruins zone, a loud crash rang out near the entrance. The vice let out a gasp, then made a pair of binoculars to check it out. She gleefully told the rest that she saw All Might walk in. The legendary pro disappeared from the top of the stairs, so she assumed he had begun to work on clearing the way out.

Momo led her classmates on a more direct path to the exit, and they found themselves at the bottom of the stairs. From here they could just about see the number one hero in his royal rumble with the muscular creature with an exposed brain. Kimito came down from the top to meet them. He asked if they had seen any of the others on their way, and Toru told him about Todoroki going off on his own. The braided teen held his head at the development, but asked his vice to get the others outside to wait for reinforcements or call for them. Without a word to him, the Arrancar brothers started making their way down to the center.

**At the plaza**

All Might found himself in one hell of a situation. He didn't have a lot of time to be fooling around with this League of Villains, but they had laid an effective trap for him. The monster man he had served a full suplex to was now digging into the wound in his side. The mysterious shadow man was apparently some kind of living gate that saved his opponent from being trapped in the ground. Now he was the one sinking, and the plan was to splice him by closing the portal. Fortunately or unfortunately, depending on how you look at it, Midoriya disobeyed his orders to flee and came back. He snagged Kurogiri's attention on his way in, but it was young Bakugo who arrived and pinned the villain down. Then came young Todoroki's ice which loosened up the creature's hold. The handsy leader seemed somewhat impressed that his army and generals had been taken down by the kids. He commanded the Nomu to free itself and attack Bakugo. The explosion that rocked the area startled everyone, but the blonde was safe and sound next to Izuku. All Might had moved the kid out of the way and blocked the attack. When the leader started up another monologue, a large beam of red light came flying at him. Nomu sped to his defense, and tanked the second explosion. It hadn't been blown away at all. The light burns on its skin healed in seconds. Hakua and Kimito entered the area with wide eyes. Both seemed shocked that something had taken no damage from the elder brother's power. All Might gave another call for the kids to stay out of the confrontation, but the villain team made plans to keep everyone involved. The leader began a charge towards the students when the pro hero let loose a massive amount of pressure. Nomu met him full on blow for blow, but was quickly being pushed back. All Might was releasing power beyond 100%, and growing ragged from it. The creature ate some kind of maximum impact punch that sent him flying out to the atmosphere.

Kimito was amazed at the spirit power the number one hero had revealed when he went all out. It was completely different to their first encounter at the battle trials. To him, it felt like eight large spiritual pressures spilling out of one body. Hakua was astounded by the strength displayed. It reminded him of Midoriya's punch to the zero pointer robot, but scaled up massively. The man had turned around a potentially deadly situation specifically designed for him. 'Even though my charged shot didn't do anything to that brain guy.' The leader seemed scared of the hero who defeated his prized Nomu so handily. The legend was standing still just like Izuku, but he taunted the remaining villains. When Shigaraki began throwing some kind of fit over not having his trump card anymore, Kimito struck. His venomous lasers streaked towards the grey haired man. All Might called for him not to get involved, and Kurogiri opened up another warp portal on the fly. A wicked smile covered the teen's face. 'That's not how you block me, idiot!' The light swung around the portal easily and hit the leader in both of his shoulders. Instead of punching or blowing up, All Might, the hero students, and the few villains who were getting up were treated to the sight of it piercing through the man's arms. The braided teen's lasers were barely bigger than a quarter, but there were now two quarter sized holes in the handsy villain's body. His arms hung limply at his sides while a trail of blood stained its way down his shirt. Behind that mask hand covering his face, Shigaraki's eyes widened impossibly. The man let out an terrifying screech as Kurogiri covered them in a dome of darkness. The two of them disappeared together.

Without a leader to rally behind, the remaining thugs offered a feeble resistance to most of the class's heaviest hitters. They were put down again even without All Might's help. A few minutes later, the teachers arrived from U.A. with Iida. They took care of capturing the villains scattered about the facility and locating the missing Tokoyami, Koda, and Aoyama. All in all, this probably wasn't going to look good for the school. The kids certainly did gain something from it.

**Back at the apartment - late that night**

Hakua laid next to Kimito in their separate futons. The boy had barely let go of his hand since they had gotten home. He probably felt some kind of way about being pushed away before the scattering. Even now in his slumber, he hadn't let go. The golden haired brother stared at the ceiling for what felt like hours. 'My power didn't affect that thing at all.' The memory of his laser being shrugged off plagued him. 'All Might was able to send it flying. If he hadn't been there, I wouldn't have been able to protect you.' His gaze rolled over to his sleeping baby brother. Hakua reached over quietly to grab his phone that was charging nearby. He knew she would answer even though it was so late. It's because he wasn't big on calling that it seemed like an emergency when he did. The phone rang twice before a woman's voice picked up. She called out his name as a question. "Okaa-san." He addressed her in a whisper. "I'm still weak. Do you think you could wake up my uncles for training this summer?" He gave Kimito's hand a squeeze. "I don't want to be unable to protect my siblings."

The woman on the other end was silent for a bit, as if weighing her son's determination. "Okay."


	6. Chapter 6

BNHA - Arrancar Chronicles: Chapter 6

* * *

The fallout of an actual villain attack on the prestigious U.A. High actually ended up getting less attention from the press than All Might's debut as a teacher there. The everyday people were made aware of it, but they barely reacted to the news. It was most likely because the evil doers were largely unsuccessful in their pursuits. The symbol of peace is still alive, and had put in great effort to repel the invasion. Also, none of the hero students had come to harm in any way, shape, or form. Apparently some teachers had been injured in the conflict, but the official statement from the school was that they would quickly be back to active duty. If anything, the general populace had gained more faith in their heroes. A massive amount of crooks had been captured as a result of the attempt. While most had been petty criminals at best, having them off of the streets was definitely a boon. Everything was going to be okay. Why?...

**Musutafu, Japan - Takahashi Apartments**

On normal days, Kimito was always the first to wake up. The teen knew that he couldn't squeeze into the bathroom with his brother to take care of his morning hygiene. There simply wasn't enough space for the two of them. He also wouldn't be able to do his meditation if he wasted time laying in his futon. It was with bleary eyes that he slid out from his blankets and headed to wash his face. Eyes properly cleared, the younger Arrancar brushed his teeth and tidied up his braid. He stared at his reflection in the mirror for a bit. Like most people in his family, Kimito was good looking. The young man had neither a scar or blemish on his sharp face. Though he wasn't as muscular as his brother, his strength was still clearly visible on his body. When he thought of the image his father cut, a small worry bled into the lad. That man towered over their family, and was bursting with power like All Might. And yet, Kimito shared so few of his features. The teen's lighter skin, thin eyebrows, and a small nose stood out to him. 'I wonder what you see when you look at me.' The braided boy wondered to himself. They must have been his mother's genes, but he had never seen the woman before. Pushing those thoughts aside, he left the bathroom to get his school pants on. Now that he was fully awake, Kimito noticed something odd about the room. Next to where he had lain was his brother's folded bedding. Hakua normally slept as long as he could on school days. He didn't use an alarm, but rose at the same time consistently. The little brother would usually be about twenty minutes into his trance by then. Kimito checked around the wall into the kitchen, but the golden one wasn't in the apartment. A light fear tried to settle into the Arrancar's stomach. A black braid shook side to side with the lad's head. Kimito remembered his training, and sensed his brother's spirit above him. 'He must be on the roof.' Hakua's signature wasn't moving, but his power was active.

Kimito was treated to the sight of his elder in his workout clothes on the roof. The blonde boy was standing with both his arms raised to the sky. The signature crimson light of his quirk had gathered above his head into a sphere about as big as a beach ball. Hakua appeared to be concentrating heavily. His teeth were violently clenched, and his brow was twitching constantly. Kimito wasn't surprised that he was having trouble. The teen was used to charging up to the size of a softball for his power shots. Beyond that, containing the energy took too much focus for the middle of a fight. What he was doing now could only be accomplished when no one was attacking him. That being said, this was dangerous. Hakua's energy gathered like particles of light being drawn in towards his palm. The mass above him had arcs of red forking in random directions. If his brother released this, there was no telling how high it would go. If he dropped it or lost control, he'd level the complex. Kimito estimated that it'd destroy some of the nearby houses, and definitely kill everyone in the blast.

Before he could say anything to Hakua, the blonde let out a whistling exhale. The gathered energy grew smaller and smaller when the darker boy spread out his fingers. He looked like a plant absorbing light from the Sun. The lightning flickered and sputtered out, and the laser returned to a manageable baseball size. Hakua shattered the light as he took a deep breath in. "Good morning beautiful." He looked Kimito right in the eyes with a smile. The braided teen let himself be pulled into a hug by the sweating boy.

"Good morning Nii-san." He returned with a twinkle. "A bit of morning training?"

Kimito couldn't see the sheepish expression that developed from his question. Hakua knew what he was doing wasn't okay. The boy must have looked like some kind of villain standing up here. Hakua was only safe from detection because of the landlady's passive quirk use. The woman's barrier when she was asleep would only reach so far into the street below, and not much higher than a few meters above the building. "Yeah. Sorry about that. I'm trying to figure out how to control more power." He gave another squeeze, then separated from the hug. "Think I can squeeze in a shower before we leave?"

**U.A. High - Class 1-A **

The hero students of class 1-A waited with baited breath for the start of school. Their homeroom teacher had been heavily injured during the attack at the USJ, so who was going to start up the day for them? Imagine their surprise when a mummified version of Shoto Aizawa walked into the room casually. It even talked in the same exhausted tone. He told them that now wasn't the time to be resting. Not for him, and especially for the little heroes. U.A. had decided to go through with its yearly sports festival, so they needed to prepare themselves. The kids were being given a chance to show off to all of Japan. Professionals would be watching closely for talented individuals, those with potential, and sidekick hopefuls. This was one of the three chances the students would have to advertise themselves. Classes would continue as usual, but hero studies was going to be made open for free training. Aizawa let the class know that if they wanted to use the facilities after school hours, they would need to reserve a time slot. Explanation finished, the underground hero moved to rest in the corner of the room.

Hakua moved over to Kimito's desk since they were clear until Present Mic came for English. "A sports festival huh? What's that Mr. Class President?" He teased.

"Huh? You don't know about the sports festival Hakua-san?" Kirishima broke in astounded. The blonde let him know that watching televised events wasn't really big over on Huecojima. Kimito piped in that even though he had already been told it was coming, he also didn't know much about it. The red head was happy to fill them in. He spoke of randomized challenges laid out for the students of each year. It was an event that the whole country had their eyes on, and it always ended with a tournament of one on one fights. When Kimito asked if there was some prize for winning, Ochako reminded him that the goal was to attract the attention of pro heroes.

Bakugo scoffed loudly at this. "The only goal here is to prove that I'm number one." His red eyes drifted across the few classmates he intended to stomp out. "I don't care about any of those pros. I'll show everyone that I'm the one standing at the top." Wide eyes stared at the boy who made such a bold declaration.

An excited smile crossed Hakua's face. "Oh? You'll show us huh?" He held his fellow blonde's gaze for a bit before returning to Kimito. "Anyway, does the family know? Is anyone coming?" His energy was bursting at the seams. This was clearly more important to him than Bakugo. Said explosive teen leveled a dark glare at the stepping stone that ignored him.

"I let Ojii-sama know that it was coming up, but he didn't know if they could get tickets." Hakua's deflated at this. "Sorry Nii-san. Lots of people get theirs months in advance." The teen let his little brother know he understood.

"So, do you wanna train with me for the festival?" The class watched Hakua raise his spirit back up.

"Sorry Nii-san." Only for the younger Arrancar to shoot it back down. "I've got my own secret training to do." A few people were surprised to say the least. The brothers were usually attached at the hip. They always moved to each other after being apart. Free time in class, breaks at hero studies, lunch, and walking to and from school. They were always together. Kurogiri teleported Hakua to the other side of the USJ, but the darker brother had basically walked back to Kimito's side while saving his classmates. It was hard to imagine that they would do anything without the other.

Hakua looked downcast at being denied, but kissed his brother's forehead anyway. "Alright then. Show me what you got in that tournament then." The elder laid down a challenge to Kimito. They were sporting matching smiles.

"Hey, hey Hakua-kun." A bright voice called out to the blonde. Toru's uniform stood up at her desk. "Are you like, always like that with Kimito? Don't you think a girl would get jealous if you dote on your brother like that?" Everyone imagined a teasing smile on her face. Her contagious energy reeled everyone into the situation. Around the edges, Tokoyami, Todoroki, Bakugo and a few others refocused on what they had been doing prior.

Hakua looked a bit unsure of how to respond. "Uhh.. I mean, this is how I am with all of my siblings."

"All?" Mina parroted. She slid next to Hagakure, and the two shared a fist bump behind her back.

"Yeah, Nii-san has always been showering the three of us with affection."

'What a doting older brother.' The hero students thought together.

**Cafeteria - Lunchtime**

"Uraraka sure was fired up back there huh?" Mina Ashido asked the group at the table. It was true that the brunette's usual carefree nature had suddenly flown out of the window. Toru agreed with the acid user. The girl seemed possessed by a completely different energy.

Ojiro spoke up from the invisible girl's side, "Maybe it has to do with her motivation to be a hero. Aizawa-sensei said we only get three chances to impress the pros who'll be watching. Maybe she has some kind of reason for trying her best." It sounded reasonable enough. Across from him, Kimito and Hakua nodded in agreement. They also thought that might be the case. Uraraka didn't seem naturally competitive like Bakugo. It only made sense for her to want to do well for a more personal reason.

"If it's like that, then why do you all want to be heroes?" Jiro presented the table with a question. Naturally, the two hyperactive girls jumped all over the subject. The pink skinned girl hit the ground running by telling everyone that she wanted to protect people from scary situations. She told them how even though she also felt the sinking sensation of fear, the young lady didn't want to see anyone give in to it. Hagakure followed up by saying she wanted to put her powers to good use. She lamented not being able to show anyone yet, but let the other students know that she also had a wicked punch. The invisible girl hoped to one day sneak up on a crime lord and knock them out. Ojiro and Kaminari gave relatively expected answers to the question, although Kyoka teased that the electric user just came because he couldn't think of something else. Surprisingly, it was Momo who had trouble coming up with a reason. She had joined the table at Jiro's request while Kirishima went to eat with Bakugo, but wasn't prepared for the personal conversation that had developed. The recommendation student promised to think harder on her motivations and said she would make them aware at a later time. "What about you two, huh? Have you both wanted to be heroes since you were kids or something?" Kyoka turned to the Arrancar brothers.

Kimito noticed that Hakua's face went stiff when their turn came around, so he took his brother's hand in his own. "I mean we are all still kids, but uh… Anyway." He pulled his braid to lay across his chest and played with the tip of it. "A couple years ago, we were told the history of our family. The old and some uhh more recent stuff." Kimito looked away from his classmates. "It didn't feel right to leave it like that."

"So I made a promise." Hakua came in with a hard expression. "I promised that I would become a hero and show the world that our family isn't evil. That we can use our powers for good just like everyone else." The darker brother looked down at the table, and his hair curtained over most of his face. "That nobody needed to get hurt anymore." His last sentence came out more like a whispered prayer, but all seven heard him.

Kimito turned his whole body to face his older brother in the booth they were sitting in and pressed Hakua's head into his chest. "People tend to think I followed Nii-san on his promise, but my resolve is right there with him. I want our family to be seen in a better light too, and I won't let Nii-san shoulder this alone." The embraced teen's arms came around Kimito's waist. Again, no one knew where they should look, so they met each other with awkward gazes.

**Classroom - End of school**

Finally dismissed for the day, the students of 1-A chattered casually as they got ready to leave. They would find their way out blocked by a lake of students watching them. Ochako, Tenya, and Minoru all questioned the lot on why they were crowding the hall. It wouldn't do in an emergency if the hall was like this again. Bakugo came striding forward to glare at the pebbles in his way. He told them that there was no point in scouting out the enemy when you were aiming for the top. He couldn't be reigned in by the others who wanted to play nice with weaklings. Coming from the back of the crowd was a tall boy with hair messy enough to rival Deku and Raccoon Eyes.

The teen with an exhausted look that was just a bit too similar to their homeroom talked briefly about the arrogance of the hero course students and his plan to usurp their position. He didn't introduce himself, but laid out his declaration of war the USJ survivors. 'Wow. He's a bold one.' Thought the interested ones. The lad was then drowned out by a new arrival from the room next door. The silver haired boy was overflowing with zeal, but the way he talked made him sound like a natural delinquent. 'Another bold one appeared!' The students in the hall filtered out at their own pace along with the young heroes.

"Poor guy. After the first one did it, he just felt like a copycat." The class president spoke to the empty room with a peaceful look on his face. There were going to be a lot of people aiming to do well in the upcoming events. Kimito idly wondered how many shared the thoughts of Bakugo. He wasn't just trying to do his best. That boy wanted first place above all things. 'Hmm.'

**A few days later - U.A. track field**

Hakua was doing simple pushups in the center of the track as Iida ran the course. The sound of the elite boy pushing himself in a distance run contrasted heavily with blonde. His eyes were closed. His breathing was steady. In a way, the older Arrancar looked like he was meditating while working out. Aquamarine eyes shot open as the boy forced his body into a handstand. He did a couple slow dips, then shakily removed his right hand from the ground. Balanced solely on his left, the red light of his laser gathered slowly into his right. 'Concentrate. Concentrate.' His teeth gritted from the effort.

Kimito had pointed out to him that his concentration was the weak point of his quirk, not a lack of power. The fact that it could be shattered by distractions wasn't something an opponent would let slide, but Hakua also had problems changing the laser type. The younger brother had trained hard to use his light to cause explosions and punch objects. In its natural form, Kimito's laser would pierce through any target that couldn't resist him. This would have been deadly in the hands of a villain. Since they had promised to be heroes, however, the boy had had to learn how to alter his power to cause less damage. Piercing attacks still had their use though. The League of Villains leader had found out the hard way, even though Kimito had been reprimanded for the use of such force.

Hakua held his position and light for about thirty seconds before it shattered in his hand suddenly. His dark face fell straight into the dirt as his left gave out. The boy forced himself to roll onto his back and greedily sucked in air. As he stared out to the brilliant sunset he wondered, 'What are you getting up to, huh?'

**A different day - U.A. Gymnasium**

Heavy panting was the only thing that could be heard in one of the workout rooms along the side of the gymnasium. Kimito had pulled his hair back into a high ponytail with the braid undone, so none of his sweat affected it. He moved over to where a towel and water bottle waited for him. The teen rested for a few minutes just thinking about everything that was coming up. 'I have to show him!' Kimito pumped himself up. 'I have to show all of them.'

If anyone had pressed their ear to the door of the room, they would have heard the sound of whistling wind for about three straight minutes.

**Elsewhere - a few days before the sports festival**

"Sir. I've gotten a report of movement from the island." A man in a black suit with slicked back hair approached his leader with news. "We've confirmed four tickets for the annual sports festival at U.A. being sent to Huecojima, and a private ferry has logged a travel plan with that place as one of its stops."

The old man at the desk received the papers with the details of the report without blinking. 'Where there is one, there are many.' His black eyes rose to his waiting subordinate. "Have someone follow them from the port. These visitors just might lead us to where those boys are hiding." The standing man bowed and left without another word.

* * *

Suzuha Takahashi _Quirk_ \- Barrier. Mrs. Takahashi can alter space by using her quirk to suppress someone's senses. She can use this power to make a room absolutely unnoticeable to even a person standing next to its door. She has practiced with it all of her life, and can now spread the power out across a neighborhood. When it's stretched thinly, she can only suppress what people can see. Looking in from outside the affected area shows people a picture of what she wants them to see, but that can be cleared by certain conditions.


	7. Chapter 7

BNHA - Arrancar Chronicles: Chapter 7

* * *

**U.A. sports festival stadium prep room**

The promised day had finally arrived. U.A.'s annual sports festival had come. The students of the hero course had definitely put their best feet forward to prepare for the challenges ahead, but so to had a scattered few among the support and general course. It was now time to display those carefully honed talents to the whole country. This was their stage. This was their time, and they had to seize it.

Class 1-A found themselves waiting for their cue to enter the arena in a large waiting room. They had a little under an hour left until showtime. Mina, Toru, and a few other students excitedly chatted about what was to come. More of the trainees sat quietly in contemplation. Breaking his own silence, Shoto Todoroki approached Midoriya with a determination to defeat the quirk successor. Kirishima tried defusing the situation, but Izuku would not be cowed. The green hero had been worrying over the words of his mentor, Kacchan, and the purple-haired boy that had visited their class. Todoroki's declaration seemed to help him remember what he was here to do. He let the half and half teen know that he was going to do his very best. Everyone here was going to.

"Hey. Hey! Todoroki-san." A new voice cut in from the side of the room. Everyone's attention was drawn to the Arrancar brothers sitting, as always, together. Hakua continued, "So many people are out here laying down their challenges on others. I'll be number one. I'm coming after you hero students. Even that silver guy." He referenced Bakugo and the two outspoken boys that blocked their classroom that day. "What the hell do you think you're doing saying that you're stronger **and** will beat him?" The golden boy pointed at the recommended student.

"It's none of your business what I do. We aren't here to make friends." He reiterated.

"Well I'm making it my business." Hakua stood from the table, but Kimito latched onto his arm. "I've noticed something about you. Your quirk is ice, yeah?"

"What of it?"

"You use it a lot, but I've seen you melt it once."

"Like I said, what of it?" The boy looked irritated.

"I don't know if you can just use ice, or if that melting trick goes all the way up to fire." The elder Arrancar looked him straight in the eyes. "But that ice of yours ain't gonna be enough to win against me."

Todoroki took a hard stance and Iida rose to stop the confrontation, but the class president acted first. "Nii-san." His voice was loud enough to interrupt without shouting. When the two locked eyes, the younger pointed at the door of the prep room. "A surprise." He said simply.

"Huh?" Hakua was visibly confused, but he fully disengaged from the dual quirk user. Kimito always got his full attention. A knock at the door drew the blonde over. "Ah!" Class 1-A watched as Hakua backed away from the door, but the people standing in the entryway were the only ones that could see his face. "You said you weren't coming! You made it! How?" His shock and happiness filled up the room.

At the door was an intimidating, tan-skinned elder. His slouch didn't take away from his towering height, and he was thick with muscle. "Is that supposed to be your greeting? You'll need more lessons in manners, Hakua." The man's gravelly voice rumbled from his barrel chest.

Kimito came up beside Hakua, and the brothers bowed together. "It's good to see you again, Ojii-sama." Perfectly in sync. The man nodded his head at the two, and they made way for him to enter. The room seemed infinitely smaller with his addition. Where before, all the kids had space to lounge about as they waited, the grandfather's presence made them tense. Everyone suddenly felt like they were too close to one another.

Coming in behind him was a woman with a familiar shade of golden hair. Her aquamarine eyes shined like river water in the summer sun. Hakua's matching set gave her a complicated look. "Okaa-san." He whispered. The brightness of seeing his grandfather had dimmed considerably, and some of the observing classmates thought it odd. Most of her face was covered by a white mask, but her eyes didn't project warmth onto her son. She also nodded at the brothers and entered the room.

"It's good to see you as well Tia-obasan." Kimito greeted the woman with his usual peaceful manner. His gaze flickered to the door again, but he went back to looking at his grandfather.

Momo and Tenya came up behind the family. Those arms of his started waving around immediately. "Hakua-san. Kimito-san. While it must be nice to see your family members, this is definitely not the place for such an interaction. As the class representative, you shouldn't be allowing visitors into the prep room while your fellows are getting ready for the upcoming festival."

"Still getting ready even though the fight has already begun? How pitiable." The old man shook his head with a chuckle.

"Uhm. That aside, how about some introductions?" The mature girl offered. "I think we'd all like to know a bit about our visitors, and how they managed to reach us here." At this she raised an eyebrow. In order to avoid rudeness, Momo went first. "Pleasure to make your acquaintance. I am Momo Yaoyorozu, vice representative of class 1-A. I work closely with Kimito-san." She gave a standard bow, and rose with a smile.

"My, my. She's quite polite, and so well raised." The blonde woman noted with a soft voice that carried around the room. Her hair glimmered as she returned the bow, revealing a couple of long braids capped by metal rings. "It's nice to meet all of you. My name is Tia Harribel, and I am Hakua's mother. This is my father." The identified mother crossed her arms beneath her heavy bosom.

"I am Barragan Louisenbairn. My last name is a bit hard for people to say, so you may address me as Barragan-san or L-san." A certain group of six suddenly remembered the second day of school. Hakua had introduced himself, but asked everyone to call him Hakua-san instead of L-san. Now they were seeing why, but it begged the question why his last name was more like Barragan's than his own mom's. "And getting here was easy if you consider the ones patrolling the halls, guards." Even though the man's face was wrinkled and had a scar that kept one eye closed, no one in 1-A thought that he couldn't handle himself. The pressure that Barragan gave off naturally made them believe that he could waltz through a hero detail unchallenged. He felt magnitudes much stronger than the villains that had shown up at the USJ.

A couple of the boys regular lunch mates shook off the heavy feeling, and came to introduce themselves to the duo. Mina led the charge, but found that the adults didn't react noticeably to her looks or energy. Barragan's single eye measured her, Kirishima, Jirou, and Midoriya, and he shook each of their hands with his massive one. Mineta and Kaminari paid their respects to the mother who regarded them indifferently through her thick lashes. Denki walked away a bit intimidated, but Mineta said that there was a charm to that kind of woman too. The highlighted boy said the smaller hero would take whatever he could get.

Kimito came closer to his elder. "Ojii-sama?" The man faced the teen fully. "How long is he going to hide?"

"Oh? Your skills are as sharp as ever Kimito." The praise came through his thick, white mustache when the braided teen gestured to the door. "That child has been practicing hiding his presence these last few months. Come on out!" He ordered.

The door opened again, and in ran a thin boy with pale, blonde hair. "Nii-nii! Kimi-nii!"

"WONDERWEISS!" Hakua was back to full throttle in a heartbeat. The newcomer had completely turned him around. He tackled his fellow blonde with a Sonido hug and lifted the boy into the air. "You blessed child! You came here too?" This 'Wonderweiss' was kissed on both of his cheeks by the older teen.

While Hakua spun around with the lad in his arms, Kimito explained to the class, "This is Wonderweiss Margela, our little brother by one year. He's very playful, but likes pranking people too."

The 1-A students took in the wide smile on the younger kid. Hakua had stopped spinning, and the two were merely hugging with their foreheads pressed together. The boys were sharing a different world. 'What a doting, older brother.' They thought again. The kid's hair barely touched the top of his shoulders, but his bangs nearly obscured one of his eyes. Wonderweiss didn't look much like Hakua, Kimito, Mrs. Harribel, or Mr. Barragan. The braided teen had said he was their little brother, but some of the students reasoned that they might actually be cousins that were raised as siblings. It was probably just like the relationship between Kimito and Hakua.

It took a few minutes to get the oldest to release his little brother, but eventually Kimito got his hug in. "Hey hun. How've you been?"

"Kimi-nii!" Wonderweiss beamed under the affection. He told the two that he'd been missing them since they moved. Apparently their home was quite boring if you weren't training to be a hero. Wonderweiss missed bathing together with Hakua and watching Kimito form letters in the sky with his quirk. Class 1-A tried looking closer at the newest brother. The lanky boy was about as tall as Hakua, but lacked the physique. He really did look nothing like the others. "...So when I heard that Ojii-sama was coming to see you two, I just had to come with." Barragan had made an exception for Wonderweiss to miss school so that he could come along.

"So there were only enough tickets for you three?" Kimito's eyes were downcast.

"Hmm? Perhaps that praise was undeserved." Barragan left the company of Kirishima and Sato, who were marveling at the body he kept at his age. "Are you only focusing on the immediate area?"

The boy's aunt also approached. Mina had been telling her about what she had seen from the Arrancar brothers in the USJ and the battle trials. "That's not like you Kimito. Can't you feel him?" The braided teen's eyes widened at their words. "Your father is also here. His seat is much farther away, but he came to watch over you as well." The corners of her eyes pinched, and the class tried to imagine a smile under her mask. Harribel watched the blush stain the young boy's cheeks. "Seems like it's almost time." The woman looked in the direction of the central field. Wonderweiss came to her side after giving his older brothers a word of encouragement. "Kimito, let us talk after the festival. Again, it was nice to meet all of you." The two blondes gave a bow.

"Bye bye Nii-nii and Kimi-nii's classmates." The young boy waved enthusiastically. They walked out the door together. Hakua had opened his mouth to say something, but nothing came out. He frowned while looking at the ground.

Barragan said nothing. His lone eye watched the older clench his fist while the younger stared off in the direction of his father's spirit. The man left silently.

**Sports Festival Stadium - After the classes have assembled**

The visiting family of Arrancar took their seats in the upper layers of the massive arena. The tickets they had bought had more or less been last minute grabs. The seller assured them that everyone would be able to see, but thank God for the scoreboard. Wonderweiss and Barragan already had problems seeing past the ocean of spectators below them. The elder's lone eye wasn't impressed by the young woman who strutted about as the referee of the event. He did, however, let loose another chuckle at the rough looking, blonde brat that declared he would win the whole thing. "What do you two think?"

"His spirit is just a bit smaller than those two. He has his work cut out for him." Tia's cool reply came without bias. That announcement would be put to the test if it came to blows.

The younger blonde looked down into the field again to try sensing his older brothers. "Nii-nii feels riled up." He concluded. The pro hero, Midnight, went on to explain the rules of the first event. In this obstacle race, the kids were free to do anything as long as they stayed on course and didn't put anyone out of commission. The woman cracked her whip when she let them know she wouldn't tolerate any misdeeds.

**Down at the start line**

The Arrancar brothers were waiting for the starting signal side by side. Few other hero course students had decided to start from the middle of the pack. Ahead of the two was most of the general course students, class 1-A and 1-B, and a few randos. Behind them, was most of the support course, all of the business students, and the exhausted boy that challenged everyone. He had been raised up onto the shoulders of three nearby teens.

"Kimito. I'm going to take everyone down a peg, and aim for first." Hakua glared right at the tunnel ahead of them. The people standing in front of him all but disappeared from view. "Meet me at that tournament." It wasn't a request, and the younger brother didn't need to respond. He focused on the task.

The shot that rang set off absolute chaos. Just like when the school tried evacuating the lunchroom, the kids only got themselves stuck pushing and shoving in their attempt to move forward. The first obstacle had appeared.

Tsuyu Asui remembered the words of her class president, Kimito. Back at the lunch alarm, he had made sure that his class didn't follow the crowd. He said it would be best not to be in the middle of that mess. Well that was unavoidable now, but they had done something different back at the battle trials. The braided boy had told her to take advantage of the chaos, and go straight for the roof. So that's exactly what she did. "Kero." The girl's powerful legs sent her out of the stampede, and she latched onto the tunnel's ceiling. 'Thank you Kimito-chan.' Tsuyu thought as she crawled towards the exit. Following her lead, a couple more students of 1-A went airborne to get past the others. They were just in time as Todoroki, who had made his way to the front, decided to freeze the ground behind him to lock the competition in place. The dual quirk user took off running out of the tunnel with a small group of his classmates right behind him.

**XXX**

Back in the tunnel, the Arrancar brothers took one look at their frozen feet and frowned. Kimito's eyes lit up weakly, and his light punched through the ice that trapped him. Hakua's whole body seemed to vibrate in place for a moment. His bindings exploded off of him. The two proceeded through the stuck kids by wiggling through.

**XXX**

Present Mic's voice called out that the frontrunners had reached the official first hurdle. A swarm of robots from the entrance exam came forth. Shoto considered the obstacles for just a bit. When a zero pointer's hand came at him, the first place boy made his move. A wave of frost rapidly spread up the machine and held it in place. Todoroki jogged ahead with a casual warning that no one should try following him. "Not even me?" From his side, Hakua appeared. The golden boy had the same cruel smirk that Kimito had when he shot the League of Villains leader. Todoroki had wasted just enough time thinking about getting one over on his father, and Hakua hadn't bothered gawking at the robots or his classmate handling said robots. When the opportunity arrived, he had used Sonido again to catch up to the teen. The two ran together for all of about ten seconds before Shoto's ice came out to catch Hakua's feet again. The Arrancar was ready for it this time. The darker boy quickly jumped over the ice patch that formed. "What did I tell you?"

The previous first place crossed his arms in a hurry as his opponent sent a kick at him. The force behind it pressed his guard back to his body, then sent his whole being flying off to the side of the track. He landed in a crumpled mess of bushes while Hakua ran off. Present Mic gave some scathing commentary about the quick fight between the two. Bakugo came flying past the fallen teen without even looking at him. The only thing that boy could see was the current first place. Shoto shook his head, scrambled to his feet, and ran after the two. When he came to "The Fall", he saw the explosive blonde take first by flying overhead. Todoroki hopped onto one of the ropes and began sliding towards the next platform. Halfway through, he noticed Hakua's hands swinging and pulling the boy across a rope. His competitor looked like a kid speeding through the monkey bars.

The commentators let the three know that the front of the pack wasn't far behind. A small amount of them were now in the middle of the fall. The boys had a lead, but Shoto needed to reclaim first. Hakua pulled himself up out of the chasm at the same time Todoroki hopped off of the last rope. He'd caught up to second, but Bakugo had landed and was running to the third obstacle. Waiting for them was a massive minefield. Bakugo smirked as he took off flying again only to get shot in the back by one of Hakua's lasers. It hadn't exploded on him, but knocked him out of the air and onto a mine. The pinkish detonation rolled him onto another, setting off a chain reaction.

Shoto eyed the Arrancar warily as the two inched around the mines. Hakua was holding a small orb of crimson light in his right hand. It looked like it was meant for the dual quirk user if he tried anything, but the blonde didn't fire yet. The boys must have been past the halfway point when a loud explosion went off behind them. Present Mic had long since told them that the students were gaining, but no one was expecting Izuku Midoriya to come flying for first place on a metal plate. Todoroki couldn't wait anymore. The lad froze the path in front of him and started running. He had left Hakua behind to chase after the falling Izuku.

In the corner of his mixed eyes, Shoto saw the red light cut a path along the ground. A series of mines went off, and a human shape cut through the light show. "Midoriya-san!" Hakua's strained voice erupted from his singed form. "Why do you never stop amazing me?"

"DEKU!" More blasts from the rear. Katsuki was rocketing to the front again. The look on his dirty, bruised face was murderous. "Don't think you can get away from me Half-and-half bastard and you too, Bro-con!"

'Bro-con?' Hakua's eyes widened at the insult. The blonde's lack of focus made his feet catch in the middle of his stride. He fell to the ground just as Midoriya slammed the ground with his metal plate. Todoroki and Bakugo were forced to stop to protect themselves while Izuku bolted for the tunnel.

He was home free. The last stretch was clear for him. Was. Even in the darkness, the verdenette saw Hakua reappear at his side. Izuku had heard Present Mic announce how the blonde took down the competition. The teen watched closely. When Hakua's foot shot out to kick him, Izuku was already in position to dodge. The offending leg cracked the wall of the tunnel. Izuku Midoriya charged into the light of the stadium under the applause of everyone in attendance. He was out of breath and ready to cry, but he had won first place in the obstacle race.

**Elsewhere - Around the start of the sports festival**

Two shadowy figures met up in the back room of a warehouse. In the background, the sound of the ocean slapping the docks set a peaceful atmosphere. The nature of this encounter was anything but. "That ferry dropped off all kinds of people, but that old man's sources said that it would be four of them arriving." A female voice instructed the other occupant. "Check the feed for a group sticking close together." She motioned to a program that would open the security systems over at the harbor. "We were lucky to find out that he was tracking them, but we're on our own from here. What they look like, and where they went from here are our top priorities."

Her associate didn't reply. He checked a paper that told him when the ferry had arrived, then rewound the recording to that time. The woman was right. There were all kinds of people coming off the private boat, but there in the middle-back of the crowd was a group that caught his attention. A tall,tan man bulging with muscles was walking off the ramp with a masked woman whose blonde hair gleamed like gold. Behind them was a powerful looking elder with a large scar covering one of his eyes. What gave the group away was the pale-skinned, blonde teenager walking in front of the old man, but behind the tall man. He was barely visible even from the camera's viewpoint. They must have been moving in formation to shield the youngest among them. "Bingo." The man said simply. The woman came back over to see what he had found. She agreed that those were probably the targets. "Now I just gotta figure out where they'll be staying."

* * *

**AN:** I might skip or just summarize the cavalry battle. I have an idea for the Arrancar team, but I don't know if I can bring it to life.


	8. Chapter 8

BNHA - Arrancar Chronicles: Chapter 8

* * *

**U.A. Sports Festival Stadium**

The watching spectators had a range of reactions to the results of the obstacle course. It was unprecedented that the son of the number 2 hero hadn't won the event. An argument was made that the kid wasn't giving it his all, as evidenced by the lack of Endeavor's fire. That golden blonde teen had seemed like the next best candidate. He had taken first place from the recommended student with a surprising show of force after the robot inferno. Then an exploding blonde had come rocketing past him at the fall. The hero course this year was full of potential. It isn't often that you get to see people with quirks not made for flight figure out how to accomplish the feat anyhow. The minefield is where it had all come down to who wanted it the most. The dark-skinned boy had literally shot his fellow blonde out of the sky at the start of the danger zone. He and Endeavor's kid then entered a kind of Cold War. They both had a way to move forward with haste, but didn't want to risk being hit from behind. Then came the massive discharge from the start of the last hurdle. Some green haired boy had blown himself up, but rode the shockwave all the way to first place. "What the hell!" And "This kid really wants to win." Were the thoughts of the majority. The newcomer took first position and gunned it for the finish line. The top three that had held the spot for the whole race just couldn't reclaim the victory.

Over in the upper layers of the stadium, a freckled teen was pouting while a white haired elder laughed deeply. In their company was a masked woman who watched the field without making a sound. "Geez. Even though Nii-nii was going to win." The youngest brother puffed up his cheeks cutely. He had been hooting and hollering the most for the dark-skinned boy to come in first. Of course, it helped that his aunt and grandfather figures weren't big on cheering to begin with. Wonderweiss understood that Hakua was going for number one the moment he left Kimito behind. That explosive blonde had gotten his brother fired up by saying he would win it all. "And that green boy."

"Izuku Midoriya." Harribel filled in.

"Thank you Obasan." The smaller blonde bowed his head. She had been paying attention when the announcer declared him the winner. "He's from their class, right?

At this, the tan elder spoke up, "That's right." He confirmed. "I took a moment to measure him back in the room, but he didn't seem like much." Midoriya was one of the few that hadn't been too put off by Barragan's pressure. He shook with nervous energy and didn't have a particularly large spirit, but was supposedly hiding a will to charge forward against all odds. The camera shot had made it clear to see. "It looks like he needs the right situation to draw out his strengths." The chuckles resumed.

"He'll be dangerous if it comes down to a fight." Tia knew well that emotions could drive someone's powers beyond their preconceived limits.

"Ah! There's Kimi-nii!" Wonderweiss squealed happily. The braided second brother had just come jogging through the tunnel as the 31st place.

Harribel and Barragan had been observing him just as closely as they watched Hakua. Kimito had chosen to keep a constant pace throughout the whole course. Getting past the robots had been child's play for his destructive quirk. The boy had climbed across the ropes more like Midoriya, using his whole body instead of just his arms like Hakua. The mines had caused some problems though. Not only did the green wonder clear out the explosives at the start, but Todoroki and Hakua had cut out paths to follow in the middle. Where before Kimito had been looking at coming in somewhere between 18th and 23rd place, the other kids had taken advantage of the safe spaces. The Arrancar couldn't fault the ones that leaped after the older brother's back.

It wasn't long before Midnight came out again to reveal the next event. The first years would be pitted against each other in a cavalry battle with modified points. Mr. First Place had just become Mr. Ten Million while everyone below him got a decreasing amount starting from 205. Any team formed would have a cumulative value, but there could be no more than four in a group.

As everybody in the know expected, the Arrancar brothers came together. "Team up for this, then fight in the finals?" Hakua proposed.

"So says the guy who declared he would take first place to take everyone down a peg." Kimito teased. The black-haired teen wore an easy smile as he crossed his arms.

"C'mon Kimito. I've got the second most points here, and I didn't think that he would blow himself up for it." The brother defended himself with praying hands. The timer was going, but he hadn't convinced Kimito yet. "Were you going to pick someone else?"

Kimito was caught. He was not going to pick someone else now that a team event had appeared. The boy had already spent the two weeks training for the festival away from Hakua. If they had time to work together, then he was taking it. The kids started looking around to see who else could fit with them. Midoriya and Uraraka had gone over to Iida, so the Arrancar duo assumed that team was made. Bakugo had a whole crowd of people aiming to be on his team even though he had come in fourth. 'Why isn't anyone approaching Nii-san?' Black eyes narrowed at the competition. 'Did that reporter have more of an effect than we thought?' There hadn't been any further mention of it at school, so the lads considered it swept under the rug. Surely the USJ incident had more impact than a little altercation with the press. Beside him, Hakua's face was tense as if he'd come to the same conclusion.

The boys would probably never find out that it wasn't the case. Classmates, friends, and people with compatible quirks were matching up. If anything, Hakua **and** Kimito were being avoided so victory could be taken from them. Class 1-A had no intention of letting two of the most active fighters from the villain attack get into the tournament. When all you have is potential enemies around you, it's time to do your best at making a new friend. Even if that friend comes from somewhere far away.

Hakua grabbed Kimito's hand and rushed over to the side of a group of four. "Let us join your group."

Only one person turned to face the newcomers. His purple hair and tired eyes marked him as the teen that challenged all of 1-A. "Why should I do that? I've already got a full team here." He gestured to the three behind him, one of whom was Mashirao Ojiro.

If he accepted one from 1-A, why not two more. "Because those two aren't gonna get you into the finals." Kimito pointed at the disoriented looking boys on the side. Whether they were from 1-B or the general course, he didn't know. "Nii-san here came in second place. That's 205 points added to the start."

"I'm pretty confident that I can rack up enough points to overthrow you guys in the hero course." The group leader crossed his arms over his chest.

"You're using a guy from the hero course." Hakua pointed out.

"I'll use anything at my disposal." The three behind him didn't react to being called disposable.

"What's going on with these guys?" Kimito walked past the general course student. "I mean, we're trying to take your spot. Don't you have an opinion?" He grabbed Ojiro's shoulder.

"Don't!" Commanded the challenger, but the damage was done.

Like the shattering of glass, the tailed hero's face morphed to shock and confusion. "Huh? What happened?" His hand came up to cradle his head. Ojiro shook himself and looked around. He saw his class president and Hakua first. "When did you guys get over here?" Before either could let him know that they had been here for a while, the blonde noticed the tall boy. "You!" He shouted, but immediately covered his mouth afterwards.

Mashirao told the brothers a quick story of introducing himself to Shinso and losing control of his body. He suspected talking to the tall lad was the key. Kimito released the other two affected boys, and sent them on their way. None of the remaining four had high hopes for the two who had few minutes to make something happen.

Hakua placed a hand on the 1-C student's shoulder. "So Shinso-san," He began with a smile that didn't reach his eyes. "The three of us could just leave you here."

Kimito picked up on where he was going, "Or you could work together with us and get to the finals." The way the two smiled looked like demons asking for a soul in exchange for success. Ojiro briefly thought that he should try to slip into another team, but one glance at the countdown told him otherwise. "What'll it be? We might even let you be the rider."

Hitoshi cursed at himself. His plan had fallen apart, and more people knew about his power. No doubt all three hero trainees were ready to give each other a pinch or shake if one fell to his brainwash. His face twisted.

**XXX**

All things considered, it had gone swimmingly well for the boys. At Kimito's behest, they had avoided going after the 10 million points. The black haired boy guessed that everyone would be aiming for it. Ojiro had been nominated to be the rider, but Shinso was the real MVP. His quirk made taking headbands a cinch. Well, it can't really be called taking when your opponents give them to you. The end result was a comfortable spot in the top four while other teams wondered how they lost all of their points.

"You two didn't change anything for me." Shinso growled at the brothers. What had gone down in the cavalry battle was exactly what would have happened with his puppets following him. The only change was that the violet boy wasn't the rider. The brainwasher had been used like he had planned to use others. "Why did you even pick me?"

Hakua gave a condescending smile. The shadows on his dark face made him look like a true sadist. "Because you're interesting." Hitoshi didn't seem to know how to react to that. "No one else had the guts to challenge the whole hero course. I like you." The blonde eased up his expression. He almost appeared gentle.

Midnight came out again to bring the event to order. She and Present Mic gave the results of the battle, and said there would be an intermission and some light games coming up next.

**Concession Area - During the intermission**

The Arrancar family gathered together for lunch by using Kimito and Tia's sensing powers. The newest addition to the group was a seven foot tall, monster of a man. He was tan like Barragan and Tia, and was mostly bald except for a wild ponytail at the back of his head.

"You two did well to make it to the finals, but now comes the real part." His loud voice drew a few eyes, but they all cowered away from the muscled behemoth. "Can you handle a fight with your brother?"

Hakua was huddled close with Wonderweiss again. The two were sharing a dango stick that Barragan had bought. At their side, Kimito answered, "Tou-san, you're being too loud."

"But he does have a point." Harribel cut in. "You may have trained together when you were young, but you never fought. It's a different feeling."

The hero students shared a look, but said nothing. Shinso and a girl on Midoriya's team had been the only people aside from Class 1-A to make it into the tournament. The Arrancar brothers were confident in their ability to fight most of the class. Plenty of their fellows couldn't overcome the advantage of distance. Dealing with people like Todoroki, Bakugo, and Tokoyami were supposed to be the top priorities.

"Yammy. Tia. Let the boys have their time." Barragan's lone eye stilled the other two adults. Kimito had come around to the other side of Wonderweiss with a hand on his older and younger brother's cheek.

'I'll show you, Nii-san. I'll show everyone.'

**Back to the field - After the intermission**

The time had come to draw lots for the inevitable one on one matches. Present Mic had given the clear for any contestants that didn't want to participate in the recreational games a few minutes prior, but everyone was in attendance for this. No one could have guessed that 1-A would dominate the entire festival even though they didn't work together on purpose. Perhaps the class's experience against actual villains had made them better than their peers. The sixteen names were entered into a computer system that shuffled and randomized their placement. The bracket it spat out, however, left much to be desired. Sero and Uraraka silently despaired at their matchups while Todoroki thought about his battle with Midoriya being earlier than expected. To the half and half teen, there wasn't a chance that he would fall to his first opponent. Shoto wasn't the only person surprised with an early fight. The Arrancar brothers stared at the scoreboard with complicated expressions. They couldn't look at each other. If the two of them won their first fight, then they would be pitted against each other in the second round. Fate had not allowed them to meet in the finals. Only one would make it, and they had to go through a brother to reach it.

Kimito covered his face with his hand. 'It wasn't supposed to be like this.' He wanted to win. He wanted to show everyone, especially him. 'But not like this.' The grand stage of the final round was what he was hoping for. When the braided teen's head began to dip towards the ground, a hand landed on his shoulder.

"Show me what you got Kimito." Hakua reached past his conflicted feelings. "Show me all the fruits of your training." The golden boy shined in spite of himself. Hakua had also been praying for the last fight. Everyone else mattered little except his baby brother and maybe Midoriya. That kid really is interesting.

**XXX**

The performance by the American cheerleaders and the show by the girls of 1-A definitely loosened up the crowd. The kids had enjoyed themselves to the fullest with some cheeky games of class tug of war, capture the flag, king of the hill, and some others. The first years even participated in a scavenger hunt with a top prize for anyone who could find All Might. Unfortunately, no one was able to find the legendary hero. Some even complained that he probably wasn't here at the stadium in the first place.

The fun time went a long way in easing the tension of the approaching tournament. It didn't ease everyone though. Momo Yaoyorozu had done her homework. What else was to be expected of her? Her class representative and his older brother had presented her with a history lesson that she was unaware of less than a month ago. Back when that reporter had forced them to reveal their status as Arrancar, she hadn't known what to think. What was an Arrancar, and why was it important? The two weren't keen on telling the class much, but they had given the elite girl enough to start doing her own research. If only it hadn't been so difficult to find credible information. The war the boys spoke of wasn't in any history books even though they said it had lasted for years. A family that went extinct for a few months? No government records to prove anything her classmates had said. Momo briefly thought that it might all have been a lie, so she looked for some videos. Whatever Hakua and Kimito had been talking about must have been captured on a news network or at least by someone's smartphone, right? Well, maybe it had. It sure is a shame that all the videos were blocked in her country. An infinite amount of facepalms wouldn't have quelled her growing frustration. Why was it so hard to pull up some information about national history?

After being given some surprising advice from Tokoyami, the mature girl went searching for articles. The raven-headed boy had said there were plenty of people online that would write about a vast array of subjects. Perhaps the answers she sought would be there. Again Yaoyorozu went through credible and reputable sources of information. Libraries, universities, research papers, national news networks, the whole works. All of this just to find out about the mystery presented to her by the lads. How could her country have gone to war, but her generation not know about it? How could she have not heard about Huecojima and an Arrancar War? Finally, she made a breakthrough. It was a forum post. Since she couldn't find information elsewhere, Momo promised herself to take what she read with a grain of salt.

The post spoke of an island that wasn't claimed by any of the nearby nations. Supposedly it was covered in deserts, but there was a massive building visible from the coast. The writer included what he or she had learned about the inhabitants. There were apparently two groups. Arrancar and Fracciones. The Arrancar are the natives of Huecojima, and are in charge. The Fracciones come from all different kinds of places for various reasons. Most leave their homes because they have nowhere else to go. In exchange for their skills and loyalty, the refugees are protected by the Arrancar family. Yaoyorozu began to get a bit worried when the pictures showed up. She tried to believe that they were edited, but the blogger had a clear image of a woman shooting a beam of red light similar to Hakua's. She looked nothing like any of the Arrancar she had met, so they must have been distantly related. There were photos of groups of adults in the streets firing their different colored lights at buildings. 'Are those Korean street signs?' The girl had wondered in horror. The icing on the cake was a GIF of a man using that same disappearing move that Hakua ran with. 'Sonido' was the label beneath the animation. 'The same name too. It's all true.' Momo Yaoyorozu knew one thing for certain; She really didn't want to fight Hakua or Kimito in the sports festival. Now that she knew this, she didn't think anyone should be fighting them. Their family had used those same powers to destroy people's lives. Hadn't Kimito also used his laser to wound the League of Villains leader?

Fate was not on her side. After a confusing fight between Izuku and that Shinso kid, her fellow recommended student, Shoto Todoroki, absolutely crushed Sero in an instant. Now it was her turn, and she was standing in front of the brother with the most destructive power. The dark-skinned boy had swooped in to save her, Jiro, and Kaminari over at the mountain zone of the USJ after being guided by Kimito's light. She was grateful, of course, but she still didn't want to fight him. Especially not in the first round. Was it even possible to defeat him? She had heard from Ojiro that the villains back then fell easily to his quirk. At the battle trials, he stalled all three heroes by himself, downed Kyoka with one punch, and was still able to support them in a final battle with the electric blonde and shadow user. Now, he was going to unsheathe those skills against her. 'Hakua L. What a dangerous first opponent you are.' The mature girl thought to herself.

* * *

**AN**: Sorry Aoyama. Depending on how the fights come out, the tournament will probs be two chapters (one and a half). Canon fights will be mentioned, lesser ones will have a short description.


	9. Chapter 9

BNHA - Arrancar Chronicles: Chapter 9

* * *

Previously on Arrancar Chronicles, Class 1-A dominates its way to the tournament of the sports festival. All kinds of matches have been selected by the generator, but there are a collection of students with unfavorable fights coming up. The Arrancar family in particular has brought up the question of whether Hakua and Kimito are even able to properly fight against one another. If they make it past the first round, the answer will come ready or not.

* * *

**U.A. Sports Festival Stadium**

Game time. No more chances to plan for what was about to happen. Running away isn't an option if you want to make a name for yourself here. Momo Yaoyorozu understood this well. It's what she signed up for. The young heiress took a few calming breaths as she observed the boy standing across from her. He looked ready. Like the nerves of standing in front of all of these people couldn't reach him, or maybe she just didn't have an effect on his composure. 'He did fight pretty hard for first place in the obstacle race. Maybe this is his scene.' She thought to herself. His sparkling blonde hair followed the path of the wind, but his eyes never left her. Eyes like gemstones were dead set on getting past Momo. The tall girl idly thought she felt some kind of pressure coming from the lad. 'Maybe this is the heaviness that Jiro-san talked about.' It was similar to the feeling that his grandfather had given off, but not as intense. This couldn't even compare to the sensations she had felt from the villains back at the USJ. Momo clenched her fists. She could do this. 'If I can fight off actual criminals, then I can beat my own classmate.'

Present Mic gave a warning "Ready", and Yaoyorozu braced herself. "Start!" She didn't waste any time in preparing a metal shield on her forearm, but Hakua disappeared from sight. It was the Sonido move she read about. He was in front of her in an instant with a closed fist. "I've heard about it from my fellow announcer, that kid is packing a one-hit KO punch! Better watch out Yaoyorozu!" Someone was definitely taking their job enthusiastically up in that booth.

The tall girl moved to block the incoming fist. 'It'll probably shatter his hand, but Recovery Girl is on standby, right?' No impact came, but Momo noticed a shadow come across her. 'Behind me?' She turned around, and found that's exactly where he was. Hakua must have jumped over her when he realized her defense was too good up front. A metal pole was built out from the creation girl's other arm. 'Time to go on the attack! What?' The Arrancar sent a kick barreling at her midsection. It was a simple matter to guard with her shield. What she wasn't expecting was the force behind it. Just like Todoroki in the obstacle race, her block pressed back into her body, and Momo was sent flying away. The girl landed on her back around the area Hakua had been originally standing. When she climbed up to her feet, he was already on top of her. Those dangerous hands reached out for her, but she didn't see any light. Momo took a step back to try swinging the staff she made, but another kick came. This one landed right in her stomach, and young Yaoyorozu barely controlled her slide. When she came to a stop, the girl dropped to her knees with her shield arm covering her face.

**Up in the stands**

Class 1-A above saw their vice president try to rise to her feet, but fall again. The poor, rich girl let loose a rainbow from her mouth. Midnight's short whip let out a crack. "Yaoyorozu is out of bounds!" The referee declared. It was true. Right between the girl's legs was the boundary line. The nurse robots came to collect the fallen girl while Hakua was named the winner.

It didn't take long for the next two contestants to take the field. Tenya Iida, a boy who had used some kind of speed boost to help his team take the ten million point headband in the cavalry battle. His quirk had also come in handy at the rope crossings of the fall during the first event. The majority of the audience hadn't seen much of the other boy in the prior challenges. He was a good looking kid, but he had failed to make a big splash before the tournament. 'What can he do?' They thought to themselves.

Over by himself, Yammy smirked to himself. 'If all that brat can do is run away, then he doesn't stand a chance.' Quirk practice over in Huecojima was a lot more unrestricted, and the father knew that his son had chased down even faster people with those lasers. If this Iida boy couldn't move faster than Kimito's eyes, he'd be crushed.

**With Tenya and Kimito**

Present Mic had called "Ready", so the two gave each other a quick bow. Iida took off running right at the start. He didn't have any other way of overcoming the distance between them. Tenya was a close range fighter through and through. Each long stride of his was a part of his determination to overcome his powerful opponent. Just like when his team fought Izuku, he would charge onward to victory. Then came the lasers. Kimito peppered his path with quick shots aimed at his feet. The toxic light forced him to change course repeatedly, but it wasn't the directional beams Kimito had shown the class back at the battle trials.

"Are you not going to fight me, Kimito-san!" The robotic teen shouted as he began circling around. He wasn't answered verbally. The Arrancar's eyes glowed in full, and two rose pink lasers came at his body proper. 'I'm not outrunning them?' Iida kept up his run, but they were fast approaching. The light followed him just like it had followed Sero back then. 'This is my chance.' The elite boy forced the energy in his engines into overdrive. "Recipro Burst!" Tenya launched like a bullet at Kimito once he had drawn the laser far enough away from his body. 'He'll have to cancel the attack and clear his vision when I'm close.' As he predicted, the light faded away and Kimito's eyes closed. The speedster went for a flying roundhouse at the unprotected teen.

Without looking, his opponent crouched down on his knees and completely avoided the kick. "Just like Nii-san, your speed burst is linear." Came the casual response. "You shouldn't have used that though. Doesn't your quirk stop working afterwards?" Glowing eyes let loose their power once again, but Tenya was no longer enhanced enough to avoid. The earlier dodging had winded him, and now his engine was stalled. Nothing but puffs of smoke came from the exhaust pipes. Kimito's light struck him in his retreating back. The beams pushed and pushed until the glasses wearer was outside of the ring.

**Up with the Arrancar family**

Barragan and company observed Kimito's fight with a general consensus. 'That took him longer than expected.' The elder and Harribel especially knew that the braided child had chased down swiffer opponents than his classmate. Most adults of the Arrancar family were masters of the Sonido technique. The teen only had problems pinning them because of their skillful use of it.

"Was it the tunnel vision?" Wonderweiss proposed an innocent question. Not many people knew about Kimito's weakness. His sight guided his quirk, but it also became the tip of his quirk. That's why his lasers were so accurate. While the beams were flying, however, the Arrancar reported that his field of view narrowed down tremendously.

Harribel leaned forward in her seat as the next two contestants came to the platform. The pink girl that had talked to her back in the prep room was up against the boy with the raven head. "That doesn't make sense Wonderweiss. He wasn't nearly fast enough for Kimito's lasers to not catch him." It wasn't looking good for Mina down in her fight. Just a few blows from Tokoyami had set her outside of the ring. 'Is that all you can do little girl, or was it a bad matchup for you?'

Barragan nearly fell asleep when the next girl, Mei Hatsume, began a showcase of gadgets after Kaminari blew his fuse. 'That Kimito is too nice for his own good sometimes. He let that boy show off his skills.' The youngest among them began getting restless after the support student's ten minute display. He bounced in his seat, however, when the tailed blonde that worked with his brothers came out to fight a red head with sharp teeth. It was pure combat in this one. Ojiro's extra appendage did a lot of work in redirecting Kirishima, but it looked like nothing was getting through that natural defense. That hardened boy was even able to resist a chokehold because the pressure on his throat couldn't overcome him. Mashirao finally managed to settle it by flipping his enemy out of bounds like Midoriya did. That battle woke everyone up, but not as much as what happened next. Explosions every few seconds as Bakugo pushed Uraraka to her limit. Her final trap took an extra large fireshow to negate it. "That boy might actually have it. Number one doesn't seem so far away from him now." The elder reevaluated the confident teen.

The first match of the second round really brought out some heavy hitters. That multicolored boy didn't bring out another super massive glacier to end the fight in an instant, but he and Izuku threw around their powers recklessly. The fire was definitely a surprise to the visiting family. "Fire and ice huh?" Harribel raised her gaze to a point across the stadium. It was about the area where a mysterious man the announcer called a doting father had been standing. "What was he doing all this time before if he had that?"

"Playing around, that's what." Barragan snorted. Limiting yourself in a fight was never a good idea, but maybe there was something going on behind the scenes. 'Shame about that Izuku kid. Both of them seemed to have their eyes on him.' The grandfather had noticed Hakua's reaction in the race and Kimito's at the cavalry battle.

**2nd Round - Hakua vs Kimito**

They didn't say anything to each other. Perhaps there wasn't anything they could say to each other. Kimito was frowning even though his older brother had a small smile. Present Mic gave the signal, and the braided teen immediately fired away. Two trails of venomous pink led straight to Hakua. Sonido took the darker boy to the far side of the play area. 'If you run away, then you'll get exhausted.' Tracking his brother was no problem for Kimito because Hakua could only flash in one direction. One beam bent to follow while the other went sky high. Having had his quirk for all these years, the young Arrancar had developed ways to overcome the tunnel vision. One of them was to get a birds eye view.

'But can you protect your body with your eyes like that?' Hakua flashed in for close combat. Just like in his fight with Iida, Kimito made a simple move to avoid his brother's punch. Aqua green eyes widened in shock. 'With his laser active!' Danger senses going off, Hakua stepped back and pink light punched the ground between them. 'Again!' Bending to the side let the laser coming from behind him go towards the little brother. It dissipated right in front of the black eyed boy.

'Nii-san. You probably can't focus enough to shoot your laser. It'll put the audience in danger if you fire wildly.' Kimito charged up and sent two more. 'I'll show you. I'll show everyone.' This time, Hakua didn't dodge. His crimson energy gathered in his right hand. Kimito saw it clearly with his approaching quirk. 'What?' It was smaller than usual, but it would still blow up if Hakua couldn't concentrate. When the laser was let go, the braided teen noticed its low aim. Hakua slipped between the light again, and began making his way to Kimito's unmoving body. Instead of curving around in a wide arc, the pink lasers performed two quicker ninety degree turns to see what was going on. Seeing danger, Kimito's light shattered right there. He shot again into the head of the red coming at him to detonate it early.

'So you can break my lasers even with no time to charge.' Hakua frowned as he charged through the small fire. His brother wasn't surprised to see him, but did widen his eyes at the laser building on his left. 'Eat this!' The smile on Hakua's face vanished when Kimito kicked his hand up. 'That speed…'

**Up above**

"Woah! Woah! Wasn't that Sonido?" Wonderweiss's excited voice broke out. Kimito's foot had come out suddenly faster than ever before. It was known all throughout the island that Hakua had studied fighting from two of their uncles, and was quite good at it. It didn't make sense that Kimito could get one over on him at that range.

Barragan raised the eyebrow above his non-scarred eye. "And here I thought he would never learn it, but he's using it for attacking not maneuvering." Down below them, Kimito had changed his tactics. He bounced on his feet and needled Hakua with blurred punches. They didn't seem to have much power behind them as the older brother continued to charge towards him. Harribel's son was strong. His blows were heavy and paralyzed Kimito when they landed. 'But whenever Hakua tries to charge a laser, those bullet punches are enough to break his focus.' His analysis was spot on. 'Slowly but surely, that boy is cutting off all of your powers.'

Harribel said nothing. She glanced over to where Yammy was sitting. Her younger brother was shouting encouragement down for Kimito to his neighbor's annoyance. When she returned to the scene below, Tia struggled with her inability to do the same. So she let the younger blonde handle it for her.

"Hang in there Nii-nii! Do your best Kimi-nii! Fight! Fight!" It was mixed, but cheering nonetheless. Those boys really loved each other.

**Down to the fight**

Kimito could see that his brother was getting frustrated. Hakua's hits put a lot of strain on Kimito, but he was prevented from going on a rampage. The younger Arrancar would fire off his quirk quickly to stall any combos. Hakua couldn't run, shoot, and was being outplayed in hand to hand. 'This is what I've got, Nii-san. Even though my quirk isn't as powerful as yours, cutting off your avenues is possible.' He had trained specifically for this moment. Learning how to apply the tremendous speed of Sonido to his punches and kicks had created a kind of jet kickboxing. 'Now I just need more strength behind them.' Physical training wasn't his best point afterall.

'Screw this! I'll just take one and aim for the counter.' Hakua ran in again.

'Here it is!' Kimito lashed out with a hook.

'Those baby hits aren't going to stop me.' Bloody light filled his left for a close range strike. Just as they got into range, his light shattered. 'Huh?' Hakua collapsed to his knees without a sound. Kimito made a fast backstep with his eyes glowing. His light punched Hakua's unresponsive body all the way out of the ring just like Iida before him.

**Student Area**

Class 1-A had no idea what to think of the results of the fight. The punches that weren't affecting him beforehand, suddenly stopped him completely. Hakua had fallen unlike anyone else in the tournament, and to his little brother of all people.

"What just happened? He was like… What was that?" Uraraka couldn't contain her curiosity. The elder lost? She had seen Kimito go up against that mist guy at the USJ, but he asked people to protect his body. The gravity girl thought the teen wasn't good at fighting with his hands.

"Ojiro-san, you trained in martial arts. Did you see something?" Momo asked the tailed hero. Hagakure chimed in that he probably would notice what they couldn't.

The blonde boy shook his head a bit. "I think he…" He began. Everyone leaned in for what he was going to say. "I think Kimito-san was waiting for it." When asked what he meant, he elaborated. "I think he was waiting for Hakua-san to lose his patience. At the last moment, Hakua-san charged in with no guard, right?" He got a couple nods from the ones that saw. "Kimito-san must have hit him harder right then."

Kirishima chimed in, "Oh yeah, maybe. I heard this story that if you hit someone about here," The red head indicated his chin. "Then you might knock them unconscious for a bit. It's really manly that Kimito was able to if that's what happened."

'If anyone could beat Hakua-san, then Kimito-san was the most likely one to do it.' Kyoka Jiro thought to herself. She still remembered that punch to her gut back in the battle trials. Kimito had taken more than a handful of them, but still kept going. The younger brother was hunched over in the ring still trying to catch his breath. Hakua hadn't woken up yet, and some nurse bots came out for both of them.

**In Recovery Girl's office**

A sharp intake of breath was the telltale sign that Hakua had returned. Aqua green eyes blinking rapidly as the dark boy took in his surroundings. "Kimito?" He called out. The curtain had been pulled around his medbay, so he couldn't see anyone. Hakua flexed his arms and brought himself into a sitting position.

A light cough sounded out, then the veil was opened to reveal U.A.'s resident nurse. "He's just one cot over resting his eyes." Recovery girl indicated the bed to the right. "Both of you came in pretty light condition. Nothing broken, just a lot of bruises. You had some small burns. Whether they were from the obstacle course or your fight, that's harder to tell." Her wrinkled face twisted at this. Hakua at least had the manners to look sheepish. He hadn't come to get healed after the first event, and now she was going to let him have it.

"Nii-san." Kimito rose from the noise. He smiled at the sight of Recovery Girl frozen with her cane about to smack his brother.

"You really did it Kimit-ow!" She nailed him anyway. One kiss on the cheek later, and all of Hakua's injuries faded away. The blonde cradled his head even though the bump was gone and leaned back. "I lost. You beat me." Hakua rolled onto his side to look in his brother's black eyes.

Kimito kept his face straight while the darker boy thought about what had happened. "I had to train really hard for it. You're so amazing Nii-san that I had to dedicate myself to winning against you." He had spent the training weeks preparing his body for a fight with Hakua. The elder had learned skills to overwhelm opponents in a fight, and had a body tailor made to dish out serious damage. It had been an uphill struggle, but everything had paid off.

"I'm so proud of you, Kimito." Back in the arena, Tokoyami barely managed to squeeze out a win against Kaminari. Bakugo dominated in his match with Ojiro through liberal application of explosions, but that didn't matter right now. Like always, they had each other.


	10. Chapter 10

BNHA - Arrancar Chronicles: Chapter 10

* * *

**Government conference room - 4 days after the sports festival **

Once again, the thirteen officials found themselves gathered before their split screen monitors. The heavy mood typically associated with a meeting of this level was missing today. It all came from the current relaxed nature of the elder among them. His long beard and whiskers were perfectly trimmed and straightened. He greeted everyone in attendance, and presented the news of the four Arrancar returning to Huecojima two days prior. "It would appear that they were only here to view the sports festival." In total, they had only been visiting for three days. Not much time to get into any trouble.

The youngest of them remarked that watching them so closely had been a waste of time. There was no need for their wariness and suspicion. If the lone official had any supporters, they didn't make themselves known. Since they were together for a short time, a pair of men brought up some of the challenges they had been facing recently. It was wise of them to seek the counsel of this council in the sparse time. Only a few minutes had passed before a knock rang out on the doors of two different council members.

The government leaders all went still. Their monitors displayed twelve shadowed people that weren't moving. It was standard procedure for one knock and no other sign to mean that someone had hacked into one of their live feeds. If it was true, whoever was watching would assume the channel had frozen. A few moments passed before two more knocks came. An assistant needed to come into the room. Every last one of them cut the power immediately to wait for an all clear sign. It took about five minutes before that signal came, and the mood was serious once again.

The elder barked out. "Report." His peace hadn't been interrupted, so the disturbance could only mean that one of the others just received new information.

"Sir, an express ticket was ordered for someone to go to Huecojima. One person."

"So five are going back to the island. What's the rush for this one? Who was it?" One of the females asked.

"Sorry. It was a preliminary report. The details haven't been hashed out yet, but they're leaving Japan today." His shadow bowed in apology.

"And the other knock?"

"Yes." The woman who could have anyone followed spoke up. "This is intel from yesterday, so I'll make sure the ones responsible meet adequate punishment. We might have a lock on where the brothers are living." She revealed. "An energy spike was detected yesterday from an apartment complex in the area we've been monitoring."

The group wondered to themselves about the meaning of the two events. Four came, five left, one in a hurry a day after an energy spike. The old leader looked directly at a specific screen. "Have someone sweep the area. Pay attention for any incoming missing person reports or murder investigations. They're up to no good after all."

**U.A. Sports festival **

When the time came for Shoto and Kimito, the audience didn't know what to expect. Endeavor's son had finally bust out the flames in the second round, and this newcomer had taken down one of the frontrunners of the obstacle course. They had both dominated at long distance, handled themselves up close, and recovered any lost stamina during a quick interlude. Was this Kimito Llargo strong enough to topple the favored student?

The teens gave each other a light staredown before Present Mic gave the signal. "You know, Nii-san was really looking forward to fighting you." Kimito said with a shrug of his shoulders. The black-haired boy let his gaze wander over to where the majority of his family was sitting. Hakua had snuck away from the student area and was pampering Wonderweiss again. At least, that is what their energies felt like. "I had to show him that he could keep growing."

Todoroki didn't say anything in response. His mind was still on the past. His parents, his powers, his reason for being a hero. Izuku had really stirred up all of his buried emotions. The one person to make him use his fire twice in the same day. It's such a shame that he couldn't have fought Midoriya in the final round, but Shoto thinks it may have been for the best that they got to battle at all. His current opponent isn't his challenger. Kimito fought his way to be here without regard for any of his classmates.

"START!" And there goes Present Mic. Todoroki started off with a growing trail of ice building towards Kimito. The hot and cold user couldn't see the frown marring the lad's face or the glowing pink eyes. What first tipped him off that a counter was inbound was the sound of shattering ice. Two beams of light pierced straight through his opening move just like they had on the hand villain. Shoto slipped between them as he had seen Hakua do in the previous round. 'I won't lose.' The recommended student noticed one laser fade away in his peripherals and Kimito start running around the first strike. Shoto decided to funnel the Arrancar in by creating a wall to cut off escape. He was about to turn the ground Kimito was coming from into a thin layer of frost when the remaining beam came down from above. It shot right through the concrete in front of his feet and left a quarter-sized hole. 'Is he going to actually do it?' Todoroki thought with narrowed eyes.

The braided teen came in with a right straight that was easily blocked. Kimito had been practicing alright, but he was still new to close quarters combat. Shoto attempted to grapple and maybe freeze him in place, but took two quick laser punches to the stomach. If he couldn't get his hands on the lad, he would just go for a stomp. The ice grew all the way up to Kimito's neck in seconds. Shoto took a step back and saw rose lightning dancing at the boy's eyes. One beam bent to chase Shoto while the other swirled around the laser user. It only took a few moments for Kimito to free himself while Todoroki surfed around on a wave of ice. It was becoming harder to dodge when it became two streaks of light jumping and snapping at him. The dual quirk user switched to go after Kimito's body. He jumped off the swell of slush to let it run the boy over. He didn't expect the rays to explode on him anyway. From his new position on the ground, Shoto noticed how close he was to the boundary. He rose and started moving for the center, but Kimito began rapidly firing needle-like lights to keep him at the edge. They weren't enough to knock him out of bounds, but it was pushing his balance.

**With the Arrancar**

Hakua and Wonderweiss were holding hands with their free hands raised in the air. The two rained down encouragement for Kimito. The fight below was turning out to be a stalemate. Todoroki's ice wasn't stopping the Arrancar from moving or attacking, and Kimito's lasers just couldn't give that final push to knock the teen out of bounds. Shoto continued to skirt around the edge of the arena at the braided boy's insistence. The rapid fire light show occasionally broke through the concrete at Todoroki's feet, and he didn't want to chance getting hit by one directly.

"I told him that just ice wouldn't be enough." The oldest brother scoffed at the display. "I'd hoped to show him myself though."

Wonderweiss saw that the teen had completed a full circuit around the ring and had made a bowl of ice in the process. From here it wasn't visible, but frost was creeping all over Endeavor's son at this point. Still he fought on. "Why doesn't he bring out the fire again?"

The shining blonde shook his head. "Midoriya-san is probably the only one who knows. Hmm… Is he slowing down?" Both fighters had paused. Kimito still stood near the center while Shoto slid silently away from the line. The camera showed Shoto's heavy breathing and covered body. It also revealed that Kimito had closed one of his eyes. "You shouldn't be tired yet."

The recommended student clenched his fist and seemed to resolve himself. Embers grew into a roaring inferno on his left arm. The teen let a stream of fire gush directly at Kimito. "There it is." Barragan grumbled.

"Look. Kimito's energy." Harribel whispered to the family. She had felt the build up from her nephew. It was big. Bigger than what everyone expected from Kimito. His normal lasers were coin-sized and smaller. The boy had just released a beam more akin to Hakua's normal shots. The light shone through the spout of fire and nailed Todoroki head on. The blast sent him all the way to the stadium wall as the Arrancar collapsed. Kimito was holding the side of his face while Midnight named him the victor.

"Wow. That was so cool! Kimi-nii really did it!" The freckled boy was practically vibrating in his seat. His beloved elder bit his lip next to him.

'Kimito, I can still grow too. I'll get stronger. I promise you.' The golden boy remembered his conversation with his little brother back in Recovery Girl's office. The braided teen had prepared specifically to win against him. Kimito had shown Hakua that it wasn't just the super soldier from the USJ that could overcome his powers. Hakua had been growing complacent. He needed to feel the pressure that people could defeat him. The middle brother had improved his body and the power of his quirk for his sake. To show him that he too needed to improve.

**XXX**

Bakugo couldn't be stopped. It was amazing, really. The boy had promised to be number one, and he actually did it. His fight with Tokoyami had revealed the explosive teen to be a natural counter to the Dark Shadow entity. The creature cowered before Katsuki's stun grenade and continuous firecracker. The blonde's fight with Kimito had taken him into the sky to dodge around, but ultimately he found a weakness. Bakugo really had a knack for figuring out people's weak points. Using small explosions to create a smokescreen hid the boy from Kimito's lasers just like the mist villain at the USJ. He reasoned that if the Arrancar couldn't see him, then the light wouldn't find him. When he had gotten close, those jet punches gave him some trouble. The stinging blows gave him a bit of pause, but Kimito couldn't keep it going for long. Hakua's brother was exhausted from the effort in minutes. It was a simple matter for Bakugo to blast his opponent unconscious afterwards.

The four boys received their medals from All Might under the applause of the entire country. Well mostly.

**Takahashi Apartments - Later that night**

Dinner was quite the celebration for the Arrancar family that night. Yammy's boisterous voice filled the dining room of Mrs. Takahashi's apartment. The widow had invited them all over for a meat stew so the group wouldn't have to mind themselves in a restaurant. The father had nothing but praise for his victorious son who could only blush under his attention. Kimito settled for chatting with his grandfather instead.

"Thank you once again for having us Suzuha-san." Harribel gave a light bow to their host. "For letting the boys live here, allowing us to use the empty units for our visit, and for this dinner. We are grateful for your hospitality."

The greying woman waved off the concerns of the younger. "Don't worry about it Tia-san. I told you a long time ago that I'd help you out however I could." The smile on her face never left as Suzuha's black eyes drifted over to Hakua laughing with Wonderweiss. The boy was the spitting image of his mother, but much more energetic. The widow could still remember the quiet, young woman who stumbled onto her doorstep all those years ago.

As if sensing where the older woman's thoughts were going, Harribel spoke up. "Kimito. I think it's time we had that talk." Yammy's son broke away from feeding a spoonful of vegetables to Wonderweiss and walked outside with his aunt.

**On the roof of the apartment complex**

The pair didn't speak on the journey up to the roof. To be sure that nobody else heard, they went to the far side of the building. Mrs. Takahashi's barrier was in full effect while she was awake, but whether or not she would shield them up here was unknown. A eavesdropper would have to come out into the open if they wanted to hear what was being said.

"So, how have you two been here in Japan?" Harribel asked.

In the darkness of the new moon night, Kimito couldn't see what kind of face his aunt was making. "We're alright. Nii-san and I keep to the same diet we had back home mostly, but Takahashi-san also invites us over for dinner occasionally. Nii-san goes on regular jogs, and I practice my meditation and focus." The black-haired boy reported. Aside from attending school, the Arrancar brothers didn't get into much.

"You're leaving out a lot." The darker woman accused. "Your classmate said the school was invaded. Twice." Her golden eyebrow rose questioningly, but it was unseen. Kimito told her that the first event was just a small break-in by the press. The situation of the USJ didn't surprise her. Mina Ashido had given her a few details, and the boys were clearly okay. Knowing more of the story was just filling in the blanks. "Then I'll be frank with you. Have any remnants appeared?"

Kimito's eyes widened. Remnants. People whose spirits were influenced by the lingering hatred of the Arrancar War. They were the cause behind the scars on Barragan's face. Just knowing that someone was an Arrancar was enough reason for them to commit acts of evil. Their grandfather had been an innocent man. He was born after the war, but the poisonous anger lived on in the people who found out about his lineage. "No ma'am. The criminals that showed up at the USJ were there to kill All Might-sensei. None of them were aiming at us specifically." His arms waved about to dispel her worries.

Harribel turned away from the teen. "Why do you keep hiding things? Suzuha-san said there was some kind of news report about the Arrancar being in Japan." The boy froze. He couldn't escape if she knew about that.

"We couldn't confirm whether that man was or not. He might have just been trying to stir things up." Kimito defended. In the rush of the moment, the kids had focused more on getting out of that situation. The reporter hadn't actually hurt either of the boys, so his status was unclear.

"But it's true that he knew who you were." She turned slightly to shoot him a look. "Has he had any outbursts? Be truthful this time."

Kimito knew who she was asking about. "Nii-san reacted, but he didn't hurt anyone. He calmed down quickly." The lad told Harribel all about being grabbed suddenly, the whispers, Hakua's intervention, and how he'd apologized for losing his cool.

"Hmm… I see." The faint illumination from the street lamps below danced in the woman's clear eyes. "You need to be careful Kimito. His love for you is dangerous. He'll sacrifice anything and destroy everything for you, Wonderweiss, and Lilynette." Kimito grit his teeth. He already knew that. He had to keep himself safe so his brother wouldn't forget their reason for becoming heroes. "Things will only get worse from here." Harribel began walking back towards the stairs.

"Nii-san needs you Tia-obasan!" The blonde stopped from the shout. She faced the teenager again with wide eyes. "He needs you. He needs your love Obasan. He won't break if more people give him love. We can all hold him together." Kimito was reaching out to his aunt with both hands. Their family was small enough as is. The chasm between Hakua and his mother wasn't going to stabilize him. He needed all the support they could offer.

"If that child knew, his soul would only fracture more." With that she left to return to dinner.

**At the dinner table - After Harribel and Kimito left**

Suzuha Takahashi's smile had fallen when Harribel dodged her. Taking the champion of the day with her for a private talk was a flimsy excuse at best. Hakua had also deflated when his brother and mother made their exit. Wonderweiss had been quick to get in the darker boy's face. His wide smile and energy was infectious. The younger blonde asked if they had to go back to school before the family went home. Apparently their teachers had given them the next two days off, but Kimito needed to go back the day after tomorrow. Something about the class representatives being informed about the upcoming work studies. Hakua told the family that he'd go with Kimito, but it wasn't supposed to take very long.

"Hey Hakua." Yammy grabbed his nephew's attention. "Your mom asked a lot of us to stick around near Las Noches for your upcoming summer break. You wanted to train, yeah?"

"That's right. Kimito really showed me today that I have so much farther to grow." The lad was still impressed with his little brother's progress.

Barragan spoke up from his conversation with Mrs. Takahashi. "Hmm? You called for training earlier than today though. Did you know that Kimito would beat you?" The elder's deep chuckles rang out across the apartment. Hakua revealed that the original reason he called home was because of a villain that was unaffected by his charged up quirk. It'd opened his eyes after sweeping so many others away with the same laser. Yammy idly noted that he wouldn't mind going a round or two with a creature like that. "Grimmjow has been lingering at the palace for your sake then." The eldest brother's eyes lit up like the night sky at this. Barragan let a teasing smirk come over him. Hakua's number one role model was definitely his blue-haired son. Like one of his other sons, Grimmjow had the tendency to run off into the desert.

"Have you heard from the others? Ulquiorra-ojisan or Coyote-ojisan?" The sparkling just kept growing.

Yammy's ponytail swished behind him. "Coyote should be back from Russia this summer. It's time for Lilynette to rotate back home after all." Barragan's oldest son was the only Arrancar that maintained two residences. He'd fallen into this cycle with his daughter so that her mother could be a part of the girl's life without moving to Huecojima. "Ulquiorra hasn't come out of his hole yet though." That was a shame. He was quite possibly the most destructive user of their family quirk. Hakua would surely miss out on power enhancement without the loner's guidance.

Wonderweiss rubbed out Hakua's pouting cheeks. "It'll be fine. Just wait until Lilynette-chan comes home. Then we'll all be together and play again."

Harribel and Kimito slipped inside quietly. The teen was downcast, but perked at the mention of their little sister. "How has Lily-chan been?" He asked.

"She calls home every other week to let us know what's going on." The grandfather started.

Harribel picked up where her father left off so he could keep talking to Mrs. Takahashi. "She asks about you two constantly, but we don't have much to tell her. You boys need to get better at calling home too." She reprimanded. "Honestly, what was the point in getting you phones?" The family continued their light conversation into the night. Suzuha had to remind them that it was her apartment to get them to retire to their respective units. Wonderweiss followed after his brothers instead of Harribel as they went up. He said he was going to take the chance to sleep with them tonight and tomorrow. The family would be leaving the day after tomorrow, so Tia saw no reason to stop him.

* * *

**AN:** A lot of name dropping, and original plot incoming.


	11. Chapter 11

BNHA - Arrancar Chronicles: Chapter 11

* * *

***Trigger warning*** (_not the drug from the actual material_)

* * *

**Takahashi Apartments** **\- The day after the sports festival**

Wonderweiss Margera woke up the morning after the U.A. sports festival happy, but extremely hot. Japan had been on the receiving end of some beautiful weather recently. The powerful spring sun truly smiled down on this country of heroes. It also didn't help that the thirteen year old was nestled in between his two older brothers. Last night after dinner the boy had chosen to forgo retiring to the apartment that had been set aside for his aunt and him. Four months and six days without sleeping with either Hakua or Kimito had left him wanting, but who was counting? The pale blonde wasn't missing a single chance to be around the hero cadets. Close in front of him was the sleeping face of his Nii-nii. Hakua's steady breathing wafted over Wonderweiss's face and made him wrinkle his nose. The darker boy's slightly parted lips reminded the young Arrancar of everything they'd eaten the night before. Without turning, Wonderweiss could clearly feel Kimito's arms around his waist. Normally at this hour, the middle brother would already be awake and meditating. Perhaps the strain of fighting yesterday had gotten to him. The black-haired boy shifted slightly in his slumber, and his forehead came to rest on the youngest's back.

'Nii-nii. Kimi-nii.' Wonderweiss smiled to himself. It really had been too long. Back at Huecojima, the siblings were always together. Lilynette was the only exception for obvious reasons, but she stuck close when she was home as well. They would all play, Hakua, Kimito, and Lilynette would train, they'd eat, bathe, and sleep together. Day and night, the cousins who had decided to be brothers and sister would stay with each other. These last months without his older brothers had been unbearably lonely. With their little sister on rotation to Russia, Wonderweiss was all by himself. Being like that brought up old memories for the boy. Wandering alone towards the massive walls of Las Noches was…. Wonderweiss shook his head. It kinda felt like he was spitting in the face of his brother's love when he let his thoughts go back to that time. Hakua took a deep breath in. The smell of his fellow blonde's hair had probably stirred him a bit, but he remained asleep. 'Time to get up.' Wonderweiss clambered out from between the two and took a look around the apartment. There wasn't much to see since the boys didn't own anything. School bags near the door, fridge full of mostly fruits and vegetables, and a small bathroom. 'Well, I guess this is a normal bathroom. Can't bathe together in here though.' Wonderweiss splashed his face with water, then left to grab his stuff in Harribel's unit.

**XXX**

'Honestly there should be a limit.' They were still asleep when he came back. The Arrancar had worried about leaving the door unlocked when he left, but it was just to brush his teeth and bring clothes up. Maybe they'll wake up after a shower… They didn't. He could understand Kimito needing the rest. His brother had made it all the way to the finals yesterday. Hakua though, was being too indulgent because they have two days off from school. Wonderweiss padded over to the darker teen and shook his shoulder. "Nii-nii. Wake up. Let's go play." Poking the boy in the cheek seemed to do the trick.

Hakua groaned and waved his arms about in an ugly stretch. His eyes barely opened on his pinched face. "Mmmhmmm. Wonderweiss?" It wasn't clear whether the oldest could see the freckled teen crouched beside him. There was the distinct sound of someone munching on an apple nearby. Aqua green eyes closed and Hakua tried to roll closer to Kimito. Only one person could be up like this on a day off. Wonderweiss caught his shoulder before the lad could get away. "Come here Wonderweiss." Hakua opened up his arms for a big hug. The only one fully awake in the room didn't take the bait. He knew that if he let himself be caught, then they wouldn't leave the bed until noon. Wonderweiss leapfrogged back a bit just in case. Brown hands clapped back onto Hakua's face in exasperation. "Fine. Just let me sleep until like noon, then we'll go play. Cool?"

Wonderweiss made a sound of acceptance and continued with his snack. It was boring waiting for others to wake up though. About ten minutes after that agreement, the young Arrancar prepared himself another apple and left the complex. 'As long as I stay inside the barrier, I should be good.' The family had told him that the neighborhood was covered by Mrs. Takahashi's quirk. A bit of exploring would do him good. Wonderweiss was scheduled to come to Japan next year to join the General Education or Business course at U.A. He wasn't going to be a hero like his older brothers, but he might be able to support them on their journey somehow. Knowing where they'd be staying was just like preparation for that. He thought the houses that lined the streets were kinda cool. They were nothing like Las Noches palace or the tower houses within the walls. Each abode had its own feel to it. Japan was so different from Huecojima. If he hadn't been told the history of their family, Wonderweiss feels that he would have thought the place couldn't be anything other than peaceful. Just when the lad finished his second apple, he spotted something that demanded attention. An orange tabby perched on a nearby wall meowed at the blonde and started wandering away. Curious as to where it would go, he followed.

**Back at the apartments**

A rhythmic buzzing pried open the eyes of Kimito Llargo about an hour before noon. The exhausted runner up rolled out of his bedding to his charging phone at the wall. It was a call from the school. The young Arrancar went back to try for more sleep. Hakua was still under the covers, but was fidgeting in a fitful dream. Brow furrowed, head turning, and hands clenching. "Where did Wonderweiss go?" Kimito's bleary eyes took in the concerning scene and became alert. "Nii-san? Nii-san!" The golden boy was shaken awake for the second time. A wild fear filled his shining eyes. "It's just a dream Nii-san. You were just dreaming." Creamy hands smoothed out the panting Arrancar's face. Kimito held Hakua's gaze till the boy calmed.

"What?" A large gasp of air then violent coughing. The vibrations began again. Kimito didn't spare it a glance until Hakua sat up. "What time is it?" Missed call from the school, but Kimito let him know that it was just after eleven. "Wonderweiss? He wanted to play." The younger brother called the school back while Hakua stumbled into the bathroom. Running water sounded out from the small room. All the boys had skipped on a shower last night. When he returned, he asked "Well? Where is he?"

Kimito shrugged. "He wasn't with Tia-obasan, Ojii-sama, or Tou-san. I got a call from U.A." His brow was bunched up. "The meeting for tomorrow was moved up to today. Do you still want to come?" Hakua nodded, but asked Kimito to feel out their little brother's spirit. "He's not far from here. I think there is a park over in that direction. Guess he got bored and went to play by himself." The two switched places so he could take his shower. "It shouldn't take long. We can swing back and get him on the way home, okay?" The bathroom door closed.

**Musutafu, Japan - About 1 p.m.**

That cat had really been a tricky feline. It slipped through holes in people's fences and squeezed its way through inhuman alleyways. More than once, Wonderweiss wondered where the little devil was even heading. Surely there was an easier way for it to go home? The blonde wiped a bit of sweat from his brow and took a look around. He was in a completely unfamiliar area. That's what happens when you chase a stray around for two hours, but he didn't feel like he had gone very far. In fact, it felt more like he had walked in a long circle. The sound of laughter nearby caught his ear. Tabby forgotten, the Arrancar followed the joyous sound back to a small children's park. There were a couple of boys younger than him having the time of their lives between the swings and slide. 'Isn't today a school day for regular people?' The lad thought to himself. He took note of the restrooms and water fountain and suddenly felt the urge. In his adventure, he'd probably held back the need to drink and relieve himself. The other boys noticed his entrance and skedaddled. 'Busted.' He teased. The water cooled his surprisingly hot body. He hadn't noticed the strength of the sun either, and felt like he needed to sit down.

Business handled in the stall of the toilet, baby boy came out to wash his hands. "Well look at what we got here." A large, gloved hand caught the side of Wonderweiss's face and slammed it into the concrete wall. "Away from the others. All alone. Did you come with a shiny red bow too?" A sneering voice filled his ears. When he tried opening his eyes, SLAM! Opening his mouth, SLAM! The boy took a shot at making a fist. "...nna fi… back?" The words weren't coming in right anymore. SLAM! Another large hand grabbed the back of Wonderweiss's neck and forced the thirteen year old to the stony floor.

A burst of heat filled the room and quickly died out. "Hur.. up. We ... kno.. ..ow much time we ..ave." A woman hissed from the door of the facility. More heat. The liquid coming from the side of the blonde's head was hot too. It had to have been his blood. "Caref.. not to k… him." What is going on?

"...Nii-nii…" A raspy whisper came from the boy on the floor. Tears built up in his bright purple eyes and ran in heavy streams through the blood trails. "Nii-nii." Wonderweiss weakly crawled for the exit. A boot planted in his small back with a laugh.

"So monsters can cry." The male jeered. More heat, more slamming, more tears, and a whole lot more blood. "You ready yet?"

A final burst and the woman began panting beside the door. "...Yeah. This is all I got." She came over to her associate and made a gesture. The brute kicked Wonderweiss onto his back then reached for the boy's dirty shirt. "No." He stopped. "I'm leaving it somewhere they'll always see." At her side was a metal pole that was glowing a dull orange at the tip. She knelt down to push back the bangs covering her victim's forehead. "Be locked away forever!" Golden eyes narrowed as she raised the brand.

"Nii-nii."

**U.A. High School **

Hakua was infinitely bored. First, he isn't allowed into the meeting because he wasn't a class representative, then it gets extended way beyond the original time. What could they possibly be talking about for so long? Some of the teachers had left, so it had to have been over or at least past the important parts, right? 'Kimito!' As if summoned by his thoughts, the boy in question poked his head out the door. Hakua was sitting upside down with his feet on the window. "Ready to go? He's still waiting for us."

The braided Arrancar looked uncomfortable. "We're gonna be another hour. You should probs head home Nii-san." Kimito offered. When the elder rolled over and shook his head, he sighed. "Well, can you call home? Let them know when we'll be done." Hakua walked off, phone in hand as Kimito returned to the room.

"Hey, Ojii-sama. Kimito's gonna be another hour, then we'll come home. Has Wonderweiss come back to the apartment yet?" Hakua got right to the point with his grandfather. Barragan wasn't one for beating around the bush. The youngest member hadn't come back. "Kimito felt his spirit near a park a couple blocks over. That was when we left the house though. Okaa… Umm… Takahashi-san could tell you where it is."

"I'm perfectly capable of sensing him out just like your mother, but I'll send her to pick him up." Barragan told him it wouldn't be a problem.

**Musutafu, Japan**

Behind the white mask covering most of her face, Tia Harribel was extremely worried. Why? Her father had sent her out to find Wonderweiss who hadn't been seen in hours. Hours! In Japan! Mrs. Takahashi had already confirmed that he wasn't in her barrier, and that certainly didn't help the Arrancar's mental state. This country is dangerous for them, and the kid hasn't trained seriously. He wouldn't notice if someone followed him to an isolated place. He probably saw a butterfly or cat or something and chased after it. The final nail in the coffin was his currently nonexistent spiritual pressure. Harribel's sense for finding people wasn't as tuned as Kimito's, but that boy is a natural genius at it. He could probably remember the feel of every person he'd ever met. Tia was older, but she needed to sit still and focus. Wherever he was, Wonderweiss's power had fallen to the point that it was impossible to pick up. Thank God that Suzuha had pointed out the general direction of the park the boys had mentioned.

'Oh no.' She could feel him. Just barely. His spirit pulsed slowly and weakly. He was in the park alright, but it came from the restrooms off to the side. Nobody else was around. She checked twice to be sure it wasn't a trap.

And he was there alright. Whoever did this hadn't even tried to hide him. The crimson pool around his head was undisturbed. His eyes and teeth were still clenched shut, and something absolutely wicked looking was trying to reveal itself from underneath the boy's bangs. Wonderweiss made no response when the dark woman picked up his hand and dropped it. She was on the phone in a heartbeat. Her father answered. "What is it Tia? Did you find him?"

"Pack all our things Otou-sama. We need to leave now." There was no room for argument. Harribel cradled the thin blonde against her chest and rose. "He's been attacked by a Remnant. We need to go before he can see this."

**XXX **

The late afternoon sun was unforgivably hot. A cloudless day had given way to a baked Japan. It felt like all the fire quirk users had soaked the very air with their power. Kimito was frustrated. 'What is going on here?' It wasn't summer. The Arrancar was pretty sure Huecojima felt better than this, and it was mostly desert. 'Did we leave the A.C. on?' Was his desperate wish as the brothers rounded the corner to get home.

"Kimito, this is ridiculous." Hakua threw in his two cents. The class president nodded sagely. "You said another hour. Why are we getting home like we just left a school club or something?" He appeared dumbfounded. Kimito thought they were on the same wavelength. It's true that the meeting dragged on to an ungodly length. Work studies, exams, and some kind of summer training camp that would be explained further the closer they got to it. His vice president had wanted a lot of clarification on each matter, and he didn't know how to rein her in. Class 1-B's vice had also been full of enthusiasm and zeal. Luckily, that Kendo girl knew how to manage her. Too bad Hakua missed out on it all. A detached hand tapping him on the shoulder would have interested him. "We're home! Wonderweiss? You in here?" Hakua announced himself to the entire complex as they entered their unit. No answer.

"Wonderweiss? Hun you in the bathroom?" Kimito tried the door and found no one. "I thought he'd be here when we got back." Hakua agreed. "Which apartments were assigned to them again?" The elder shrugged. None were big enough for all four, so Barragan and Yammy had shared while Harribel and Wonderweiss were supposed to share. It's not their fault that their little brother crawled in with them. "Well let's go ask Takahashi-san. She'll know." And so, they set off again.

**XXX **

"What do you mean they left!?"

"Nii-san lower your voice." Kimito scolded. Honestly, who was the real older brother here? "They were scheduled to leave tomorrow Takahashi-san. Did Ojii-sama say why they rushed out?"

The widow gave the two a frown. "He told me that the manager at the docks called them. The ferry wouldn't be running tomorrow, so they needed to come today to go home."

"Without saying goodbye?" Hakua didn't like it. He thought at least his baby brother would borrow a phone to say that they were going home. 'What was the point in getting Kimito and I phones?'

Suzuha looked like she felt something was off too, but she didn't tell the boys. What would they do with the knowledge of Tia and Wonderweiss not reentering her barrier? Why hadn't those two come back to pack? The owner would just have to check the apartment to be sure nothing had been left behind.

Kimito 'hmmed' to himself while looking at the door. His eyes closed, and the teen tried feeling their spirits. He reached all the way out to the edge of his range, but caught nothing. "They left a while ago?" He looked back to Mrs. Takahashi who confirmed.

She turned to Hakua. "Your mom asked about that park, then Barragan-san came by about 30 minutes later. Said they had to leave." Her frown increased. It felt wrong.

The Arrancar brothers mirrored her face. "Isn't that weird?" The three talked for a few more minutes, before the two left. 'What a day.' They thought simultaneously.

**At the docks - About 8p.m.**

It was a lie of course. Whatever her father came up with to tell Suzuha was definitely a lie. There was no way she could know the truth. Mrs. Takahashi probably doubted whatever she'd been told, but they can't let her tell the boys. Wonderweiss was attacked by the one thing she knew they'd find if the Arrancar came to Japan. Well her family didn't find the Remnant. A baby walked into an ambush. It just had to be his little brother. Hakua was going to fracture when he found out. He might lose his heart entirely. 'Wonderweiss, why did you go out?'

The ferry captain couldn't help them. The ship wasn't moving until daybreak at the earliest. Harribel had cleaned and wrapped the wounds with torn bits of her clothing. Yammy and Barragan did their best at hiding the unresponsive teen she carried all the way here. Now they waited. It was no surprise, however, when Hakua called. He wanted to properly say goodbye and wish everyone a good night. Of course, one person couldn't come to the phone. The adults looked between themselves for a moment. Barragan opened up to explain, but… "He's already asleep." Tia jumped in. The men gave her wide eyed stares. "He really tired himself out at that park. He was still playing when I got there."

"Oh. He's just all gassed out huh?" Hakua made a sound on the other end. "Alright. Goodnight everyone. I hope the journey is safe." The call ended before anyone could say anything.

Yammy's eyes narrowed down to pinpricks. "Nee-san, you're making it worse. He knows something is up because we left like that, and now you've lied to him."

Barragan changed the towel on Wonderweiss's forehead. The ugly burn he'd seen beneath it made his own scars throb. "You aren't the only one worried about his soul. I've been watching since the day we found out." The teen was breathing stronger, but hadn't moved since she found him. "This isn't the way." The elder shook his head.

"He'll break. He'll break and go on a rampage." She countered.

"He'll rampage harder if we don't control how he finds out." The giant contained his normally thunderous voice. "Look. We gotta tell him. Tonight. Tomorrow. Soon. We gotta tell him." Massive hands waved over to the possibly sleeping/definitely unconscious blonde. "It'll be worse if this hasn't changed by summer and he finds out then."

Barragan's oldest daughter ran her dark hands through her golden hair. Whether she thought about it for an hour or just a few minutes was lost on her, but she found her resolve. "Okay."

**Takahashi Apartments - After the phone call**

Kimito watched as his Nii-san stared at the cell phone. The golden boy didn't move. He didn't smile. Apparently Wonderweiss was already asleep, so they couldn't apologize for not playing together today. The older brothers let themselves get wrapped up in sleep and school, and felt like they neglected the one who just wanted a bit of their time. Heck, if the dock manager hadn't called, the boys probably could have even found a public bathhouse to use.

"She lied to me." Hakua said abruptly. Kimito was startled. It was just above a whisper, but nothing else was making sound in their apartment. A dark hand clenched into a fist. "I don't know what's going on, but that was a lie." The braided teen asked what he meant. "If Okaa-san didn't want to say something, she wouldn't. She's good at staying quiet, but she answered. She said a lot. It was a lie though. She's hiding something about him. Something happened." Hakua's spiritual pressure started leaking out, and a heavy feeling enveloped the room. If Mrs. Takahashi was awake, then this would be fine. If not…

"Calm down Nii-san!" Kimito ordered. He gave his older brother a quick head chop. "Look, lets just go check out the park he went to tomorrow. Cool?" His eyes narrowed in concern when Hakua looked in the general direction of Huecojima. The older Arrancar grunted a bit, then went for a shower. The two slept a bit closer than usual that night.

**Back to the park - The second morning after the sports festival**

He could barely wait for the sun to rise. Hakua had risen before even Kimito today. The older boy prepared them a light breakfast and rushed through his morning routine. He woke his grumbling roommate at first light. They were out the door in forty minutes.

The park didn't look like much. Wonderweiss could probably have some fun on the swings or climbing the trees (there aren't many strong enough to support a growing Arrancar back home). The play area looked pretty normal, so they decided to head back home. "Sorry about that Kimito. Guess I was overreacting." A smile that didn't reach his eyes. The black-eyed teen came closer and hugged the downcast blonde. The two went home holding hands.


	12. Chapter 12

BNHA - Arrancar Chronicles: Chapter 12

* * *

Previously on Arrancar Chronicles; "Nii-nii. Wake up. Let's go play." "The meeting for tomorrow was moved up to today….. It shouldn't take long. We can swing back and get him on the way home, okay?" "Well look at what we got here." "Be locked away forever!" "... He's still waiting for us." "He's been attacked by a Remnant. We need to go before he can see this." "What do you mean they left!?" "He's already asleep." "She lied to me." "Sorry about that Kimito. Guess I was overreacting."

* * *

**Takahashi Apartments - Two days after sports festival**

The day went better than expected for Mrs. Suzuha Takahashi. Suspicious departure aside, everything checked out just fine. The boys reported that the park was clean of any foul play, and no luggage was left behind by the visiting family. The Arrancar simply needed to leave earlier than intended. Kimito and Hakua brought over a fruit medley in the afternoon as both a thanks and apology. The two bowed their heads and let the old widow ease the tension in their hearts.

The steam wafting over Suzuha's peppermint tea filled the room with a calming atmosphere. She sat alone at the table under the faint light of the crescent moon. It was a dangerous time. Harribel told her long ago that it was the time of the month that monsters ran rampant. Between the new moon and the first and last quarter. Back then, the young woman spoke of echoing roars, white masks, and powerful spirits. Now wasn't the time for that though. Those kinds of things didn't show up in Japan. Even though it was early, Suzuha thought it might not be such a bad idea to turn in for the night.

Arrancar really have it out for Mrs. Takahashi. She wasn't even asleep for ten minutes before she felt it. A heavy pressure not too different from Barragan's natural presence. It pinned her to the bed. It made the simple act of breathing difficult. Suzuha felt like she might faint. 'Is this the monster she was talking about?' Whatever was going on, it wasn't right.

**Up with the boys - Just a bit earlier**

The Arrancar brothers were enjoying their last day off from school the best kind of way; by lazing around. The park and apartment were clean, so they had little to worry about. Mrs. Takahashi gave them the full wisdom of an adult earlier this afternoon. Sometimes the world just didn't move according to one's plans. If the family went home early, then that was that. It didn't stop Hakua from hovering near his phone though. He waited all day for someone to call. Wonderweiss, his grandfather, one of his uncles, or even his mom. Surely someone would call when they reached the island. His baby brother especially should have. The teen couldn't sleep through the whole boat ride, and nobody was going to carry him all the way back to Las Noches. What was going on?

Kimito creaked open an eye from his spot on his futon. "Why don't you just call first? We can even wish them goodnight." A black eyebrow raised at Hakua.

The golden brother was laying on his back and staring at the ceiling. It's not like he didn't want to. Not being able to say goodbye was just nagging at him. It didn't feel right. Was it dangerous like leaving the burner of the stove on? Or was it more like leaving the faucet running? In any case, Hakua grabbed his cell phone while shaking his head. If there were things left unsaid, then he would just have to say them. 'Who's gonna answer? They should already be home by now.' Hakua thought about how his grandfather would be checking on any changes at the palace while Yammy would join the crescent moon night patrols. His mother was the only one with a phone that could answer. She lied to him about what was going on yesterday, but now was a good enough time to clear things up.

The phone rang for much longer than the last time he called after the USJ incident. Despite how she acted around him, Hakua's mom tended to pick up on the first ring. The call was probably about to go to message when it connected. "Hello Hakua." Her gentle voice came through.

"Hey Okaa-san." Kimito watched his brother tone down to Harribel's level. "H-How are you? Am I uhh, interrupting something? Did you all make it home alright?" But the blonde stumbled over himself.

At his mother's request, Hakua put the phone on speaker so Kimito could also hear. "Boys listen. Try to remain calm." She warned the two. "We're all back at Huecojima. I'm at the hospital right now." Gasps from the brothers, but they didn't dare interrupt. "Hakua, I have to apologize to you. I lied to you yesterday." A deep frown twisted the boy's beautiful face. "I hope you can forgive me."

She couldn't see how her son scratched the back of his neck while looking away. "Of course I can Okaa-san. I just want to know what's going on. Why are you at the hospital? Did someth…. What's going on?" Hakua pushed his glittering bangs up away from his forehead. He felt his stomach clench in preparation for the worst. 'They rushed home, and Okaa-san is in the hospital. Something happened.' Kimito came close, but didn't touch the older boy.

The duo heard Harribel take a heavy breath. "There was a Remnant attack." Wide eyes full of fear locked with each other in the small apartment. The two immediately thought of the scars on their grandfather's face and neck. Remnants were either unreasonably distrustful, or openly hostile. Being in the hospital meant a violent one had showed up. That the family had been in a rush to get home proved that the enemy slipped away and they didn't know if a second strike was coming. "It was Wonderweiss." Hakua fell on his behind with his mouth agape. "He's still alive, but hasn't woken up since." Kimito collapsed to his knees.

"Ah…." The dark-skinned teen's mouth opened and closed as he tried to find the words. Harribel called out his name a few times and asked him to remain calm. The muscles on his athletic body clenched and relaxed erratically. Hakua's hands came up to the sides of his head as he grit his teeth. His eyes slammed shut, but all he could see was the faint image of his little brother trying to wake him up.

"Nii-nii. Wake up. Let's go play."

"Come here Wonderweiss." "... Just let me sleep until like noon, then we'll go play. Cool?"

Kimito covered his tearful face with his forearm. He couldn't see. He couldn't breathe. 'Wonderweiss!' It felt like something in him was breaking. His baby brother had been attacked, and is in the hospital. 'Wait! Nii-san!' The braided teen cleared his eyes and saw something quite worrisome. The red energy of Hakua's quirk was covering his whole body like a smoky aura. Hakua was laid out on his back with every part of him tensed. Those aqua green eyes opened suddenly, and Kimito was knocked backwards by a pulse of power. The full weight of his older brother's spiritual pressure exploded out. 'There ain't no way Takahashi-san can contain this!' The middle brother forced himself up and trudged over to the source. His aunt's voice felt like it was miles away or underwater. Kimito couldn't hear her calling out to them as he straddled his older brother. "Nii-san!" He grabbed the boy's shoulders. "Nii-san! You can't do this! We have to see how we can help!" Kimito couldn't tell if he was getting through Hakua's fit or not.

Hakua didn't relax. His eyes rolled into the back of his head as he took a deep breath in. "AAaaAahhHHhH! Wonderweiss!" His power rose even higher. If he hadn't broken through the barrier before, it was assured now.

"He's alive! He's alive! She said Wonderweiss is alive!" Kimito pulled Hakua's head into his chest. He repeated "Wonderweiss is alive'' over and over for the darker boy. The ominous energy slowly retreated back into Hakua's body. Both of the Arrancar brothers were openly crying, but the elder fell limply against the younger. Harribel attempted to explain what little she knew about the situation, but came to understand that they weren't listening. She promised to inform them when there was an update, and told them to be safe.

**U.A. High - Third day after sports festival**

The first day back at school after the sports festival saw a lot of kids with satisfied faces. The annual event was, as always, infinitely entertaining. Students from every course in every year managed to accomplish their individual goals one way or another.

Mineta Minoru entered the boy's restroom minutes before homeroom was scheduled to start. One of the consequences of having a smaller body was, of course, a smaller bladder. The energy drink he picked up on the way to school didn't help his situation either. When he got in, he noticed one of his classmates standing over one of the sinks, but thought little of it. He did think something about it when the taller boy hadn't moved from the spot while Mineta finished. "Hey Hakua-san, class is about to start." He called out to his ex-teammate.

The Arrancar slowly shifted to gaze at the young hero cadet. The grape-headed boy was surprised to see the redness in and swelling surrounding Hakua's eyes. The teen was a wreck. Hakua nodded at him then coughed into his hand. "Thanks. Gonna be late." When Mineta asked if he needed help getting to the nurse's office, Hakua shook his head. "Principal." The dark boy croaked.

**XXX **

Nezu understood immediately that he should call for Aizawa. He didn't need High Spec to reach that conclusion. There was something about this boy's tone and body language that suggested he meant somewhere other than his apartment when he said, "I'm going home." He was pretty sure that Hakua L. was talking about Huecojima. 'Should I clarify, or ask why?' He chose the latter. "And why would you do that L-san?"

Hakua accepted the cup of tea the genius animal passed to him, but didn't drink. "I would like for my absence to be filed under emergency medical leave." He didn't explain himself.

Nezu resisted the urge to sigh. "You don't seem to be injured L-san. Surely whatever is ailing you can be seen to by Recovery Girl." Hakua shook his head, but flinched in his seat when a knock came from the door. "It's just your homeroom teacher. Is it alright if I call him in?" A light pressure filled the room as the Arrancar stared at Nezu. They held each other long enough for Shota outside to feel the need to knock again. Hakua gave the barest nod, and the energy faded. "Come in."

The underground hero took in the room silently as he entered. Mineta had mentioned that Hakua would be late coming to class, but failed to mention that he was involved with the principal. "Sir." Aizawa's head dipped a bit. "What's this about?" Straight to the point.

"L-san here has decided to go home. He says he would like his absence to be marked as emergency medical leave." Shota gave the young Arrancar a once-over. He came to the same conclusion as the principal.

"Something happened, and I need to leave."

"We can't just approve for you to leave if you can't give us a proper reason." Nezu stated calmly.

Hakua frowned. He was clearly conflicted. "So, my family came up to visit for the sports festival." The Arrancar told them of the four, and their early departure. "My mother called from the hospital last night." The teachers tensed up. "My little brother was attacked the day after the sports festival. Someone tracked him down and… and… he hasn't woken up since." He was struggling to contain himself.

Nezu didn't quite know what to say. It was clearly a delicate issue. A wrong move here could set the Arrancar off. Thank God Aizawa is here. "L-san?"

"Please stop calling me L-san, sir."

"Okay. Hakua-san. Going to see your brother in the hospital is important, but it isn't going to change anything is it?" He hit the teen with a hard stare. The pressure returned and Aizawa noticeably braced himself.

"You don't have a healing quirk, and aren't a doctor." Shota presented Hakua with logic. "Running off to hold your brother's hand isn't in your best interests right now. This is an important time for your growth as a hero." Hakua didn't speak. His jaw was clenched shut. "Hakua, asking us to hold your place in the hero course is unfair to everyone in it and aiming for it. There were hundreds of applicants for U.A. this year."

Hakua's eyes went wide. "My brother is the victim of a hate crime, and you want to preach to me about fairness!"

"Hate crime? Are you saying it wasn't a villain?" Nezu spoke up before things got out of hand. It always helped to gather as much information as possible.

The heaviness in the air dissipated when Hakua slumped in his chair. "He just wanted to go outside to play. If I hadn't been here at the school, or just woke up with him…" He shook his head. "Not a villain, or at least that's not confirmed. He was targeted because he is an Arrancar. Because he was alone." A pause. There was a resolved look in Hakua's eyes. "Look, if you aren't going to approve it, whatever. I'm going home." He stood from his chair leaving the untouched tea. When the principal called for him to sit back down, he stopped at the door handle. "No sir. I'm going to my baby brother. Expel me if you have to, but this comes first." He walked out before the adults could say anything else.

Nezu and Aizawa shared a look. "What do you think Aizawa?" The High Spec user was going through options at light speed, but sought further input. A second opinion couldn't hurt.

Shota hissed a quick curse. "I didn't realize it was like that. They told us back after the reporter incident that there is bad blood against people from Huecojima. I didn't think it would come out like this though." A deep sigh. Nezu nodded, but didn't interrupt Eraserhead's thoughts. "Hmm. How about allowing three weeks, but he loses his spot if he doesn't return." Another nod, but this time the principal mentioned that that was quite generous of him. "Oh no. I intend to put him through a hell course of testing to make sure he hasn't slacked off."

"I think I can agree to those terms. Catch him before he leaves to let him know." The underground hero left the office with another dip of his head. 'So you do care about these ones.'

**XXX **

It was about midway through class when Kimito suddenly rose from his seat. Class 1-A couldn't help but notice how he frequently looked at his brother's desk and then switched to staring at the door. They had no way of knowing that he was focused in the direction of Principal Nezu's office.

"Kimito?" Cementoss understood that the boy was distracted from the lesson, but this is a bit much. No reply. As expected, the rest of the class turned to look at Kimito, who kept staring at the entrance. Tenya Iida raised his hand to begin chopping when the door to the class opened. The sole missing student finally arrived at class. "Hakua. Thank you for joining us."

The older Arrancar gave a light bow. "I apologize for the interruption Sensei. I'm going home, but I need to borrow my brother first." His gaze shifted to meet Kimito. In the face of the braided boy's shock, Hakua gave a false smile.

"Forgive my assumption, but surely what you need to tell him can wait until after school no?"

Golden hair rippled as his head shook. "I'm not going back to our place." Kimito gasped. "I'm going home to Huecojima." The rest of the class gasped. Hakua was leaving the country. Huecojima wasn't too far from Hokkaido's eastern coast, but commuting to school would be impossible. Most of 1-A wondered whether he was quitting the hero course.

Mr. Ishiyama gave a solemn nod. "Okay. Take your time. It has been a pleasure to be your teacher." The pro hero gave his student a bow.

Hakua returned the sentiment as Kimito joined him at the door. "Well then everyone, bye." He waved at the group and left.

"Alright now. Everyone back on the lesson." Ken gave the other students zero time for gossiping. Some looked crestfallen, a couple were unaffected, but most were confused. To them, it was just too sudden of a shift.

**XXX **

Hakua and Kimito walked a bit away from the classroom hand in hand. The younger squeezed the elder's rhythmically until they stopped at the end of the hall. "Nii-san?"

"I'm sorry Kimito." Hakua's face fell. "I have to go. I have to see him with my own eyes."

Kimito raged as he pushed his brother away from him. "Don't you think I want to too?" He threw his hands in the air. "Wonderweiss is my baby brother too! I love him! He was right here with us, and now he's hurt!" Kimito walked away from Hakua. He looked out the window towards home. Their real home. "Shit! And what about school? What about all of this?"

Hakua frowned. "I'm sorry. I asked for emergency medical leave, but they didn't want to approve it. I said it was fine if they expelled me." Kimito's eyes went wide with fear.

"Actually.. " A new voice cut in. Hakua flashed immediately between the newcomer and Kimito with his palms open. "Woah. Calm down there Hakua." Their homeroom teacher held both his hands up, but was prepared to erase the boy's quirk anyway. "The principal and I agreed after you left to allow three weeks of leave." He explained the terms and what would be waiting for the Arrancar should he return in time. "If you don't come back though, you will lose your spot here." Both brothers said they understood. Aizawa gave them both a hard look, but decided against saying more. 'Saying I'm sorry here will just seem like pity.' He turned and left them to their farewell.

"Well, that takes care of school."

Kimito's anger came back. Hot tears ran down his snarling face. "How could you? How could you make a decision like that all on your own without… without me?" The young Arrancar sobbed as he fell to his knees. He did not resist when Hakua's arms embraced him. He did not shy away from the kisses on his head. They stayed like that for a while. Kimito backed away a bit when he finally calmed down. His older brother didn't let him out of his arms, but it was enough space to look each other in the eye. "You have to call." He demanded with a frown. "Message me when you get on the ferry and when you reach the island, but call me after you see him." His lips quivered. "When he wakes up, I want you to call. Even if it's during class. I'll just tell them that I need to take it." Tears built up at the edges, but didn't fall.

"I'll tell you everything." Hakua agreed. He pressed another kiss to Kimito's forehead. "You gotta stay safe while I'm gone. Don't go anywhere alone." The elder warned. "Tell people where you're headed." Another kiss. "Doesn't Midoriya-san live in Musutafu? Maybe ask him to walk with you."

Kimito clenched the front of his brother's school uniform. It was time for Hakua to leave. He would have to order an express ticket to get the ferry to go to Huecojima last notice. It normally wasn't on anyone's itinerary. "Okay. Okay. Go. You be safe too, Nii-san." They split as the lunch bell rang. A couple curious souls peeked at the two getting up from the floor, but no one interfered.

**XXX **

Nobody knew what to say. Class 1-A returned to their room with heavy minds, but none was heavier than Kimito's. He spoke to no one during lunch. The hero cadets did try. How could they possibly leave him alone with a face like someone just died in his family? Did someone just die? Is that why Hakua left? How can we cheer him up when we don't know what wrong?

"Uhm, Kimito-san?" Izuku waited until the class president panned over to look at him. The Arrancar's eyes were rimmed with red, and he looked exhausted. "I don't know what's going on, but I don't want you to feel lost. Call on us if you're in pain, or need an ear, or a shoulder, or just anything. I'll help however I can."

A glimmer of light shone in Kimito's eyes. Luckily, it wasn't pink. "You really are a natural hero huh?" The faintest smile graced the boy's face, and the class let out a collective breath.

**Sea of Japan - Evening **

Captain Kurogane wasn't too pleased with the last minute add on destination. It meant a more time at sea, more time away from his family. Thank God the weather has been beautiful recently. The Sun sinking into the far off horizon was absolutely stunning. Now that he thought about it, maybe it wouldn't be such a bad trip. The captain looked over the deck of the small ferry. There weren't many passengers, but one stood out to him. A lone boy in what appeared to be a school uniform. 'Won't he have classes tomorrow?' Kurogane decided to pay the young man a visit. "Is it your first time at sea son?" He tipped his hat to the teen. 'Doesn't look like he's gonna be sick.' The man thought to himself.

Hakua's hair seemed likely to cast rainbows with the way it shimmered in the light. "No sir. It's been a few months."

"Ah forgive me. I didn't introduce myself. My name is Masahi Kurogane." The man said with a smile. "You can call me Captain Kurogane."

"I am Hakua L, but please call me Hakua." The Arrancar looked back out to the water, then up to the sky. "It's going to rain soon sir." The adult made a questioning sound, so Hakua repeated himself.

"Umm, Hakua-kun? We've been having excellent weather recently." He pointed out the sparse clouds around them and the lack of them anywhere on the horizon. "I've been sailing these parts for years. I think I'd notice the signs of an approaching storm."

"Not a storm, just rain." The boy said simply. "Can I not convince you to prepare for it?"

"Forecast is clear skies tonight. You take care Hakua-kun." The captain left after the teen gave him a small bow.

About twenty minutes later, a crewman passed by Masahi. The captain noticed that he'd been cleaning near where the student was still standing. "Hey, you wouldn't happened to have spoken with that boy over on the deck would you?" Kurogane asked.

The crewman shook his head. "No sir, but I did overhear him singing by the water. He was praying for rain."

"Praying?"

"Yes sir. Calling out open up heaven and let it rain over and over again."

"Thank you." He dismissed the cleaner with a pinched brow. 'Praying for rain?' But sure enough, it came. Completely against the forecast and the captain's intuition, thick clouds rolled over and let loose on everyone. The few passengers took shelter where they could while the crew handled business. The water wasn't rough, but it didn't hurt to be prepared. Looking down at the deck again, Masahi saw that Hakua was still there. The kid had to be soaked and freezing by now. He went down to get him out of the downpour, but also to reprimand him for using his quirk. 'Where else could this rain have come from?' But then he saw. The kid was shaking alright. It wasn't possible to tell what water was rain and what was tears, but there was no mistaking that face. Mouth open in a silent sob, eyes clenched shut, face pointed to heaven itself. 'Crying out to the heavens huh?' Captain Kurogane let the teen let it all out undisturbed. He told another member of the crew to prepare some towels and a hot chocolate for the lad.


	13. Chapter 13

BNHA - Arrancar Chronicles: Chapter 13

* * *

**U.A. High - Same day Hakua left**

Classes continued only slightly off the norm for the cadets of 1-A after Hakua left school. The students were used to the blonde's constant presence, but it's not like he was an active participant in general lessons. The older Arrancar shined most during combat training. The low mood of the class president certainly didn't help get things back on track either. Midoriya was the only trainee capable of bringing the faintest smile to the kid's face just the one time before. Now, the more studious of the brothers was unresponsive. Present Mic couldn't even get a rise out of the braided teen. He merely stared into each teacher's eyes until time passed over.

Later in the day, just as their homeroom teacher explained earlier, Midnight arrived to help the young heroes choose their codenames. Shota was here too, but said he wouldn't be much help in a matter like this. Nemuri rounded up all the boys with her natural charm. Well, more than half of them anyway. Her brief explanation of what the hero name would mean for them and their future put a light pressure on the subject. Aoyama proceeded to pull the rug out from under them all with his sentence name. The pro heroine, however, wasn't one to be fazed. She shortened the phrase down to "Can't stop twinkling" with ease. The rest of the class seemed a bit thrown off by her allowance of it. Next came the resident acid user. A vibrant cry of "Alien Queen" worried the adult. It made her think of the hit horror movie series from the late 1900s. Midnight asked the girl to reconsider.

"I think it's a cool name." In the otherwise quiet room, that lone whisper came out. Mina Ashido locked eyes with her sole supporter in the midst of her fellows. The class president, Kimito Llargo, was sticking up for her hero name. His stare was still blank and he hadn't touched his whiteboard yet, but the young Arrancar liked her name.

"Thanks a bunch Kimito-kun." Ashido swayed side to side with every other syllable. Nemuri thought it might be difficult for the girl to gain popular opinion with a name like that, but Mina held firm. The class representative was in her corner, so she could do anything. It was like having a free pass, a golden ticket, and a recommendation letter all in one. Well, at least in her mind it was.

"It is your hero name. I'm just saying it might make things harder on you." Midnight shrugged her shoulders and drew in attention again. "Let's keep it moving!" Tsuyu came next with a name she planned to use since childhood and Kirishima with a name he respected. One after another, Class 1-A approached the podium with ideas of their own. Nobody really needed help or guidance for the most part. Bakugo's had to be reworked though. It came down to just a few boys in the end. "Midoriya-kun? Have you figured out one yet?" The young quirk successor presented everyone with his current nickname. Nemuri didn't know the history of the 'Deku' name, but the boy seemed quite attached to it. "And Kimito-kun?" She continued on down the list.

1-A watched in anticipation as their president went to the front. The students he passed noticed that his whiteboard was still blank. Kimito placed it on the podium and glared at it for a bit. Just before Midnight could ask if everything was okay, he wrote. "This'll be my hero name." Written on the board was 'Laser Hero: Wondershot'.

There were a couple of reactions from the group. Some oohs and ahhs for such an actiony, hero-like name. Mina jumped up from her desk to give the boy an enthusiastic thumbs up. "Nice pick!" She shouted.

After everyone had decided on one, Aizawa took the reins again. He told the class that the codenames were for their upcoming hero internships. First years normally didn't get invitations, but this year was different. Some of the pros took interest in the potential of 1-A and 1-B. The layout of people who'd actually received offers was a bit mismatched though. Todoroki came out on top with the most offers even though he didn't win the tournament. Midoriya surprisingly got absolutely zero. Mineta shook the green-haired teen and told him that he needed to change that scary way of fighting. They were informed that they had to choose who they'd intern with within the next two days and turn in their forms.

**Huecojima - The next morning**

As the only person getting off at the small harbor at Huecojima, Hakua L. bid the ferry farewell with just a solemn wave. The morning sun rising over the waters illuminated the rolling dunes of his homeland. Huecojima was situated in the northern portion of the Sea of Japan between Hokkaido and Russia. It is theorized that back when landmasses were forming, the island had split apart from what would soon be Japan and pushed the future country further away. Huecojima's shores on all sides are hours away from mainland Asia, but its climate belongs only to it. There was a chill in the air that Hakua hadn't felt in months. Last night was another crescent moon, and it was still going to be another few days before it passed the half mark. 'I need to make the journey home as quick as possible.' It would only slow him down to be stuck out in the desert fighting those things at night. The boy took a few deep breaths as he prepared himself. A white mask lined with black stretched fully around his neck and covered the boy's ears, nose, and mouth. Hakua secured his belongings to his chest and released his spiritual pressure. One of the crewmen on the leaving ferry would report seeing some kind of pillar of red light on the island. The looming towers of Las Noches stuck out against the horizon. From the dock, it was more than two-hundred kilometers to the palace. Not a distance he could cover with Sonido alone. Even Hakua would fall to exhaustion like that, but that didn't stop him from starting the long haul. Nobody was around to hear the back to back bass sounds of the teen flashing towards the massive white walls.

**HJ General Hospital**

Tucked away in the safety of the palace/fortress was Huecojima General Hospital. It was an unassuming, cylinder shaped building made of red painted concrete. There were a couple facilities like it scattered across the mass of land beneath the roof of Las Noches, but this one was closest to the center. Closest to the Arrancar tower in the middle of the island that acted as the central pillar of the superstructure.

The intensive care unit rarely needed to be used by anyone on Huecojima. The Arrancar and the Fracciones took great care to be safe whilst working the land. The patrols during the crescent moon nights were the most dangerous occupation on the island, but also the most necessary. The ones who got injured out there normally didn't get to come back though, so the unit didn't see much use. Wonderweiss's condition after being involved in a Remnant attack warranted it though. Harribel hadn't left the young lad's side since they returned. The room was prepared for Wonderweiss upon their arrival at Huecojima by calling ahead. He was hooked up to monitor his vitals, help his breathing, and keep him somewhat stable. There had been a few times when it seemed all was lost for the injured blonde while he simply lay there on the border. Tia felt responsible. The family went to Japan to see her son, and this is what happened. The child still wasn't awake. Wonderweiss didn't have parents in the palace to watch over him, so Harribel remained while her father and brother took care of work.

The boy's head was wrapped in bandages around the top. He wasn't bleeding anymore, but Dr. Grantz said it was for the best considering the burn on his forehead. When it was done healing, it would definitely leave its scar. What was more worrisome was the potential brain damage and the lack of spiritual pressure coming from Wonderweiss. Whoever assaulted him used enough strength to fracture his skull and cause a concussion. Luckily, early scans didn't show any fragments in his brain. Still, he wasn't waking up. Harribel fell into meditation at his bedside. The woman reached out to her father's energy. The eldest Arrancar was at the bottom of their tower, most likely in his office. Yammy's spiritual pressure was much farther up. He was definitely on his floor. Two more of her younger brothers were also in the house. One she expected, the other she dreaded a bit. They could both be quite vocal with their opinions, and weren't likely to hold back when they found out about Wonderweiss. Harribel continued to search for the powerful spirits of her family in the palace for another half hour. That's when she felt it. Far off in the distance was a powerful spirit rushing through the desert. She could almost sense those eyes so much like her own overshadowing her and shivered. 'He's here!'

Huecojima wasn't regulated by the laws of any nearby country. China, Russia, Japan, North Korea, and South Korea all swore off the forsaken island long ago because it is worthless. Settled in between so many different powers, laying claim on it meant asking for someone else to assert dominance in the area. The island more or less created a stalemate, but it wasn't worth fighting over in the first place. Huecojima is covered in desert and doesn't have precious resources. The nearby countries couldn't understand why the Arrancar lived there, and didn't bother chasing after the citizens who defected to the island. This combination of noninterference and isolation led to its own melting pot culture and laws. Chief among those laws was the freedom of quirk and skill use. In some ways it was necessary. Las Noches palace definitely wouldn't have been built without the Arrancar who mastered the airwalk technique long before the war. This meant that Hakua was free to run wild on his approach.

His mother focused on his beacon-like energy signature as the boy crossed the desert. 'He'll probably be here around tomorrow afternoon.' Her gaze moved back to Wonderweiss. 'Your big brother is coming here. Can you feel it?' Nothing changed. The younger blonde continued with his assisted breathing in an endless dream. The pulse of his spirit was weak. Barely stronger than when she'd found him, but still lower than a normal child let alone an Arrancar teen. 'He might break when he sees you or the proof.' The burn under the bandages couldn't stay hidden for long. Sooner or later Hakua would see, and Harribel worried how much damage that would do to the boy's sensitive soul.

**An unknown place**

Darkness. A roiling blackness that denied any semblance of place. Wonderweiss was lost. He knew not where he was, how long he'd been here, or how to get back. The blonde wasn't even sure there was a place to go back to. 'How did I get here? Where is here?' From his position on his back, the teen wondered about everything. There was no sound. He opened his mouth to scream, but nothing came out. He could see nothing but darkness swirling around him. Was it moving, or was he? Was he on his back, or standing straight up? His arms and legs certainly weren't moving. No matter how hard he thought about bringing his hand up to his face, it wouldn't rise. Or perhaps it did, but he couldn't see his hand in front of his face. Wonderweiss was lost in some kind of abyss. 'Nii-nii!' He cried out with his soul. 'Kimi-nii! Where is everybody?' Violet eyes panned over the darkness again. There was nothing. Maybe those were tears he felt on his freckled cheeks, but he couldn't be sure. Wonderweiss sniffled. 'Nii-nii….'

**U.A. High**

Of course Kimito Llargo got internship offers. He didn't win the tournament, but he was the runner-up. The problem was how careful he needed to be about his choice. His classmates were able to make the decision based on how popular the hero was, personal connection, location, or skills the heroes were known to have. Kimito was the only person that had to research **who** his potential mentors were. He needed to know their history. Who were there parents and grandparents? Did they ever make comments about Huecojima or the Arrancar? The teen only had two days to run through his list. It was hard to eliminate agencies at first. The heroes themselves hadn't seen an Arrancar before, so they didn't immediately reveal themselves as potential Remnants. Looking at the grand and great grandparents was the key. Anyone with family in the military or government at that time was automatically out. He couldn't take the chance. Risky online posts about the differences between people were another no go. It was important that the black-haired teen be thorough for his family's sake. For Hakua's sake. The fit he'd fallen into when he found out about Wonderweiss was sure to come again if something happened to Kimito.

"Still trying to figure it out Kimito-chan?" Tsuyu Asui approached the lad who hadn't moved after class was dismissed. Kimito didn't mutter up a storm like she'd seen Izuku do, but he was clearly lost in thought. He regarded her with the same blank look everyone got today. It was only slightly different than his usual peaceful expression, but nothing escaped Tsuyu's observant nature. "You seem to be having some problems." The frog girl's finger came up to poke her cheek in a questioning pose.

Kimito shook his head quickly. His braided ponytail behind him flicked with the violent motion. "Uhm.. No, actually." He corrected. "I've almost got it figured out. I'm down to about twenty now." His face twisted into something that wasn't quite a smile. Tsuyu's eyes widened only slightly. Kimito raked in more than two hundred offers with his performance. It wasn't an outrageous amount like Todoroki and Bakugo, and it was less than Tokoyami who placed lower than the class president in the tournament. The eldest Asui was a bit curious as to why her classmate needed to narrow down his choices instead of picking the most relevant hero. "I guess I was looking for something specific. This one keeps standing out to me though." He pointed out one a bit above the middle of his list.

"Kurosaki Clinic?" The dark green-haired girl tilted her head to the side. "I've never heard of that one." Her black eyes drifted back to the teen in question.

"It's certainly not well known. A small family runs it as both a medical clinic and a hero agency." Kimito rose from his desk and stretched out his arms. He started putting his things into his bag as he continued, "They only have two professional heroes. A father and son. I was invited by the father, a Mr. Isshin Kurosaki who goes by the hero name Engestu." Kimito finished getting ready to leave and checked his pockets. He pulled out a simple smartphone and an embarrassed expression came over him. Tsuyu Asui nearly croaked in surprise as he faced her. The Arrancar who got left behind was looking more like a regular teen again. "Uhm.. Asui-san?"

"Please call me Tsuyu-chan." She reminded.

"Right. Tsuyu-san." The mature girl allowed herself a small sigh while Kimito shook his head again. "Could we exchange numbers? I kinda need someone to tell where I'm going and that I'm safe." Her face didn't change from his question. A small croak came out in place of what the lad assumed would have been a 'Hmmm.'

After a moment to go over it in her head, she pulled out hers as well. "Sure. I don't mind." 'Safe?' "Does that mean you're going to text me a couple times on your way home?" A nodded response. "Are you going to give your number to others in the class?" Another nod. Kimito thanked her and made for the door. When he opened it, Mineta was standing on the other side. The short boy was just as surprised to be caught as they were at finding him.

"Ah.. Sorry. I didn't mean to listen in." Small hands waved furiously in front of his torso. "Good on you for getting a girl's number Mr. Bishounen." Those same hands clenched into little fists as Mineta grinded his teeth.

Kimito's eyes flashed over to Tsuyu's, but they didn't say anything to each other. They honestly didn't know what to make of Mineta's eavesdropping. Nothing they said was super personal. Nothing dirty, lewd, or anything that could be misunderstood. With suspicious eyes, Kimito asked his classmate why he'd been waiting there.

A difficult, concerned look took over the fresh picked hero. He reared his head back to look Kimito in the eyes. "I saw him. I saw your brother before he went to the principal's office." The Arrancar's orbs widened in shock. He tried burying the expression in the blank look from before, but Tsuyu elbowed him in the ribs quickly. All three of them were clearly frowning now. "He didn't look well. He didn't look anything like I was used to." Hakua's empty gaze was haunting Mineta. The taller boy barely even saw him back in that restroom. Those aqua green gems were looking right through him as Hakua walked out of the hero program. "I didn't know what I could do, so I offered to help him to the nurse." He admitted. Kimito graced him with the barest smile, second one today. "Hakua didn't look good, and he left. You haven't been alright today either. Are you going to…" He didn't seem able to finish the question. It was something Tsuyu wondered about when she approached Kimito, but he cleared it up for her by saying he was almost ready for the internships. Mineta needed more assurance.

A frown ate up Kimito's face, and the two questioners found a light pressure falling on their shoulders. It reminded them of the elder who visited the class before the sports festival, but nowhere near as powerful. Kyoka and Denki revealed one day at lunch that Hakua used something similar on them back at the battle trials. As if realizing that his energy was leaking, Kimito reined himself in. He gave the two Japanese natives a bow, raised up his cell at Tsuyu, and left without another word. Mineta directed a worried look at the frog girl in the silent classroom. The eldest Asui stared at the door for a moment before grabbing her bag and leaving as well.

**Huecojima**

A deep gong rang from the corner of the head office in Arrancar Tower to mark the turn of the hour. The four subsequent rings telling the sole occupant in the room that it was 5 p.m. Barragan Luisenbarn placed both of his large hands on his armrests of the bleached white throne behind his desk. The patriarch rose and stretched out the kinks he felt in his muscled form. Most Arrancar ate healthy and lived active lifestyles. Sitting for hours on end really didn't suit him, but he bares with it. Barragan is the Espada. As the sole survivor of the Arrancar War, he naturally inherited the title. The Fracciones who sheltered, taught, trained, and eventually pledged their loyalty to his family again believed it was only right that he have it. Now that the elder had children he could delegate other island duties to, Barragan was oftentimes stuck in his office to make decisions. He couldn't even remember the last time he went on a crescent moon patrol. As he made his way out, bidding farewell to his assistant Ggio Vega, Barragan was surprised by the sudden vibration of his phone. A quick glance showed no missed calls or texts. "Hello Tia."

"Otou-sama." Barragan could almost sense how she probably bowed her head on the other side of the call. "I sensed him. He's here on the island and coming home."

"Yes. I felt his spiritual pressure start approaching sometime this morning. Did he give up on being a hero?"

His daughter was silent while they both unknowingly looked into the distance. The walls of Las Noches prevented them from seeing the horizon where they felt Hakua's steady pulse. The teen was likely still trudging through the sand or preparing for a night out in the open. "I don't know. He hasn't called me since I told them. Should I ask the nurses for a second bed?" The mother asked.

The elder's laugh startled his assistant who was also getting ready to leave behind him. "No. I think it'll be easier if you just have a larger bed installed in the room. He'll want to sleep there I imagine." Vega pressed a hand onto Barragan's shoulder as he squeezed past the elder. The Fracciones' long braid swayed side to side as the young man walked away. "I'll let the patrol team know to keep an eye out for him. Hakua's good at fighting, but not hiding. Without a weapon, he'll have a hard time defending himself from the Hollows that sniff out his powerful spirit."

Harribel voiced her agreement with the decision. Using his quirk in the desert under the cursed crescent moon would only draw more to him. "I'll make sure the room is prepped for him." The mocha woman sighed when her father asked after Wonderweiss's condition. "Unchanged."

* * *

**AN:** Stay safe out there whoever is reading this.


	14. Chapter 14

BNHA - Arrancar Chronicles: Chapter 14

* * *

**Japan - Morning of first hero internships **

Mina Ashido woke up on the morning of the hero internships determined. Determined to get the first cup of coffee in her house. It would be a mad rush to beat her father on his way out to work. The Ashidos loved that first brew more than Saturday morning cartoons and sleeping in. The young acid quirk user padded down into the kitchen in her heart slippers and found, to her amazement, that one of her parents started a pot, but left it unguarded. Mina silently made a victory sign with her hand and grabbed her favorite mug. She didn't take her coffee black like her father or milky like her mother. Mina's drink was a rich brown almost like liquid chocolate. As per her morning ritual, the teen took a deep whiff of her wake-up juice and a cautious sip. 'Hot.' Her tongue hung from her mouth after being slightly scalded, but she was happy to have it nonetheless.

Sitting at the dining table, the young hero let her mind wander to what lay ahead. Aizawa presented all the students without internship offers with a list of agencies that would still take a few kids. Making it into the tournament wasn't enough to get Mina any serious scouts by itself. The pros saw a bit of her showcase, but didn't extend an invitation her way. "Just gotta shine harder next time." She encouraged herself. Losing to Tokoyami like that must have ruined her first impression with the audience. That boy dominated at range. 'How to fight people who don't come close?' As the mental gears started picking up with the caffeine, the trainee thought harder on how to improve herself.

Mina glanced down at her coffee and felt her mind begin to wander. The color brought up thoughts of a similarly colored classmate of hers who vanished so suddenly. Hakua L. The boy left the hero course literally the day everyone came back from resting after the sports festival. What was up with that? And no explanation was forthcoming. Kimito clammed up something fierce after being pulled out to say goodbye. Mina waved a greeting to her mother who looked betrayed at the steaming mug in front of the teen. 'Today's as good a day as any to try and find out I guess.' Mina smirked and changed her wave to another victory sign.

**Class 1-A - Before homeroom**

A chorus of excited chatter passed around 1-A's classroom before school officially started. The hero trainees were filled with a nervous energy not too dissimilar from the first day. Unless you were one of the naturally cool kids of course. Todoroki is anything but pleased even though he knew this was a step he needed to make. Midoriya didn't know who this Gran Torino person is, or how he caused such an intense reaction in his mentor, but he's willing to give it a shot. And then there's Kimito. His black hair braided into a lustrous ponytail resting on his back with two bangs framing his face. The sole Arrancar's expression had reverted to a blank stare. Kimito gave no indication of how he felt about the trials to come. If one thought about it, he probably looked like Todoroki did during the first few weeks of school.

Tsuyu Asui watched the back of her class president's head until the lad rose and approached Izuku. 'He texted me this morning on his walk to school just like he promised, but it makes sense for him to ask more than one person. Just wish he'd tell us why.' The frog girl turned back to Ochako to continue their conversation in earnest.

"Hey…. Midoriya-san." Kimito started, a light blush dusting his cheeks.

Izuku tensed in his chair as the class rep zeroed in on him. "Y-yes, Llargo-san? Do you need me?"

"Ah, please call me Kimito, Midoriya-san. Most people in my family go by their first names." Kimito corrected. At the green hero's nod, he continued. "I was wondering if we could exchange numbers."

"W-what's this all of a sudden? Not that I'm against it Kimito-san. It's just…" The quirk inheritor flailed about his arms which made Kimito take a step back. Izuku took a deep breath then tried again. "I'll trade numbers with you, but **is** there a reason why you want mine?"

"Yeah! Is there a reason?" A new voice joined in. Toru Hagakure successfully snuck up behind Kimito and tapped the boy's shoulder. Just behind her was a growing bestie, Mina Ashido.

"Don't you think what's going between them is kinda private?" Sero threw in his two cents. Kaminari seemed a bit put off by the tape hero paying attention elsewhere, but it was gone in a flash.

"I'm just curious. Now that your brother isn't here, I thought Kimito might gather more attention from the girls, but he went after another boy." The sleeve of the invisible girl bent as if to cover a bit of her face with her hand. This was, of course, unnecessary. "Is it difficult to be around girls Kimito-kun?"

"No. Not really." He shrugged. "My little sister isn't that much younger than me, and there are plenty of women I talked to over on Huecojima."

"But not many your age?" Sero posed.

"I didn't know you have a little sister." Kaminari stated.

Kimito could literally feel how off track the conversation was going, but felt powerless to stop it. He'd just ask Midoriya again later. "Ah, I guess not. Not many my age. And yeah, Lilynette is two years younger than Hakua and I. She wants to be a hero too, so she might be in Japan when we reach our third year." 'If everything smooths out.' The Arrancar thought to himself.

Hagakure's sleeves came together across her chest. "Your sister huh? Is she like your sister-sister or like your cousin-sister?" The mental image of a smaller, female Kimito invaded the minds of a few students. The boy in question was already quite beautiful, so what would a sister look like? Some kind of cool beauty right? Maybe a glasses wearing intelligent type with sharp eyes?

"Well, she's my cousin." Some of the class face planted. "Nii-san decided that we were all siblings way back when…" Kimito paused with a frown, then shook it off. "When Wonderweiss came around."

"Hmm?"

"Uhh Lilynette is our Uncle Coyote's daughter. She's half Russian, blonde like her mother, and a serious tomboy. That last part can't be helped much because she was around us the most growing up."

"Eh?" The boy had effectively shattered everyone's mental image.

"What's it like where you live Kimito-san?" Izuku managed to rejoin the conversation in the lull.

"Uhh Hakua and I live in a local apartment complex run by a friend of the family." A couple kids laughed at the answer. "No. Uhm.. Huecojima right?" Izuku nodded, and the surrounding group drew a bit closer. "Well, it's a pretty large island, but it's absolutely covered in desert. Sand dunes as far as the eyes can see, until you spot Las Noches." Kimito told the teens about the massive, white walls that are visible from the coast. The Origin River which sprang from the island center and ran through the palace, but not to the harbor. Tall residential towers made of plain grey concrete and squat, colored buildings that made up different facilities. "The population hasn't ever really been big, but we have a primary school that covers up to the seventh grade, a high school that is 8-12th, and a community college." There were a couple 'oohs' at this. "HJ Community College focuses a lot on medicine, agriculture, and engineering. There aren't any precious resources on the island, so we've been teaching ourselves how to make do with what we have."

Momo Yaoyorozu entered the discussion at this point. "And how does Huecojima obtain its necessities? What about things like iron, oil, energy? Does the island produce enough food for the people?"

Kimito nodded sagely at the mature girl. Kirishima quietly shared a fistbump with Mina because the teen was coming out of his funk. "Apparently it was really difficult after the war, and not much is known about the time before then. Our current prosperity kinda goes hand in hand with our freedom of quirk use."

"You guys can use your quirks in public over there?" Mineta cried out.

"Yeah. It's almost central to how we live now. To answer Yaoyorozu-san's questions," Kimito returned his gaze to Momo. "Huecojima does participate in national trade even though we aren't a recognized country or part of another country. We grow most of our food in fields set aside inside Las Noches. Livestock is occasionally imported, but for the most part we eat fruits and vegetables that we manage to grow." The students were amazed when Kimito said their number one export was energy. "There are a lot of powerful individuals living on the island right now. They all find ways to use their quirks to produce power. Mr. Del Socaccio runs a wind power plant with his Cyclone quirk. If Hakua hadn't decided to become a hero, he probably would have harnessed the explosive power of his laser to fill the industrial energy cells we sell." 'In his spare time that is.' Kimito thought as an aside. "What we lack, the engineers are looking into ways to get around. You'd be surprised what came out of the labs that was ultimately just made of sand, rocks, sometimes salt, compressed gases, and a whole lot of electricity." Kimito actually managed a laugh when he thought about the massive axe his grandfather kept back home. The class gave a sigh of relief when they heard the Arrancar's bell-like laughter. Aizawa walked into the room, and the order quickly returned.

**XXX**

Lunch seemingly came swiftly to U.A. now that 1-A's president was in a better mood. The light hadn't left his eyes since the class learned about his homeland. 'Maybe Hakua going back just made the teen homesick.' Is the thought that swirled around the interested parties. As per usual, Mina Ashido wrangled a squad of friends to hang out with at a booth near the window. Toru, Momo, Kyoka, Denki, Mineta, and Hanta. Surprisingly, Kimito accepted her offer to eat lunch with the others today. Since Hakua left, the younger brother took his lunch alone in the classroom with Aoyama. The teens chattered amicably around the silent Arrancar gazing out the window.

"Ya know.." Kaminari tapped Kimito's shoulder beside him. "You were pretty good in English class today eh Kimito-san? I thought only people like Kyoka and Yaoyorozu-san would be really good at that." The invisible girl and tape hero made a cry of indignation at that.

Sero's wry grin stretched further across his pointed face. "Well, I thought the same too." The two assumed prodigies shook their heads at the group.

"Some of the Fraccion families are native speakers of English, so it is taught throughout elementary school." He explained. "Nii-san is actually better at speaking English, but it's hard to motivate him when it comes to schoolwork."

A short, blonde girl walking by stopped at the familiar word. "Hmm? English? _Do you all speak English?_" Her blue eyes gleamed like the deep ocean.

Kimito and Momo stood simultaneously to face the new girl. The boy brought a hand over his chest. "_I can speak English. We were just talking about the class, but did you need help with something?_" He offered. Momo nodded at how he handled the situation.

"_Oh. You were just talking about classes. It is nice to meet other English-speakers. It's my native language._" She deflated slightly. Mineta's mouth fell agape at the cute blonde with two curved horns atop her head. "_My name is Pony Tsunotori from Class 1-B, and it's nice to meet you._" The purple boy just wished he could understand what she was saying. Momo took over and translated the greeting for her lost classmates. "_If it isn't too much trouble, maybe we could talk more some other time. I'd like to practice my Japanese more, and it might be better with people who can speak both fluently._" As lunch came to a close, Kimito let the transfer student know that they might be able to work something out.

**Karakura Town**

Kimito Llargo advanced through a residential district in Karakura Town with the aid of a handmade map. The boy didn't trust his phone to keep signal all the way on the western side of Tokyo. Just in case the maps app failed him, Kimito drew the rough outline for himself while his homeroom teacher saw the others off at the station. The original route was supposed to take him through a couple of alleys to save time, but Kimito altered it to stick to main roads. He needed to stay where other people could see him. The younger brother promised his elder that he would stay safe. Sensing powers on full blast made sure he didn't have to keep checking over his shoulder. A few people stayed in his range while he walked along the sidewalk, but they turned off one after the other in their own paths.

Coming up on the last leg of his journey, Kimito approached a large, two-story house. It was shaped a bit like a L with a small extension coming off the bottom. The Arrancar took note of the two doors he could see from the front and all the windows in view of the street. Nobody was waiting for him. Outside at least. There were three spirits in the house/medical office that he could detect. One upstairs, another in the back of the house, but the last one was right next to the door. The only reason Kimito hadn't gone in was because whoever was waiting by the door hadn't moved the entire five minutes since his arrival. Even knocking didn't prompt the presence to allow him in. The young hero cadet frowned as he considered his options. Whoever it was, they weren't disturbing the other two occupants. It must be someone who lived or worked here, but why would they just stand next to the door without moving? Why wouldn't they answer his knocking? Kimito whipped out his phone and shot a quick message to Tsuyu with his location attached. Just in case.

When he placed his hand on the doorknob, nothing changed. He began turning it slowly, finding that it was unlocked, and felt the spirit back away slightly. A soft click let him know the door was open. Kimito called the pink energy of his spirit to his eyes and pulled the metal door open. "Hello? I'm Kimito Llargo from U.-" The teen backstepped as the spirit lunged out with a hand reaching for his face. The large, masculine hand ate up way too much of the boy's vision to see his assailant. 'Oh hell no!' With gritted teeth, Kimito switched his dodge into a full Sonido that put him in the middle of the street. With a fair bit of room between them, he took in the sight of his attacker.

Standing in the doorway was a middle aged, Japanese man with spiky black hair and an unshaved face. He was wearing a doctor's coat with a cartoonish t-shirt underneath it. The man was nowhere near as tall as Kimito's father, but his muscles were plain to see along the fitted tee. The hairy forearm leading to the still outstretched hand was bulging with them as well. Surprise attack failed, the man took up a pose with the original hand behind his back and the other scratching the back of his head. "Ah. I'm Isshin Kurosaki." Kimito eyed him warily. "Founder of Kurosaki Clinic, and the pro hero; Engestu." Seeing the distrustful look still on the lad's face, Isshin produced a business card and his hero license to confirm his identity. Kimito nodded now that it was clear who the man was, but he didn't say anything. The Kurosaki patriarch sweated lightly from the thin eyebrow that arched over the Arrancar's face. "Okay okay. I'm sorry. I apologize for jumping out at you like that."

A cruel smirk spread out on the young U.A. student. "Now that wasn't so hard. I'm Kimito Llargo, sir. My hero name is Wondershot. Thank you for having me, and I look forward to working with you." When Kimito rose from his bow, his expression was peaceful.

**XXX**

Confirming Kimito's research from the days prior, Kurosaki Clinic proved to be a small hero agency. Isshin gave the lad a quick tour of the home office and over to the sick room. The cadet was introduced to the father's fraternal twin daughters, Karin and Yuzu. The girls were still in high school, but already had practical experience as nurses. The two are registered as employees at the agency, but they are only part timers in order to adhere to labor laws. Kimito allowed himself to relax a bit when he detected no hostility from the house's occupants. The twins' spirits didn't hold a candle to him and Isshin looked to be about as strong as Aizawa. Kimito was sitting out on the back porch overlooking the wide backyard the Kurosaki's had obtained years ago. Isshin stood in front of him going over the different kinds of material he planned on teaching the lad. Basic first aid, emergency treatment, urban rescue, and the like. Isshin didn't often go out on patrols like his son.

"Which makes me wonder a bit on why you took up my offer. As the runner up, you must have gotten a lot of invites right?"

Kimito looked out into the distant horizon before his eyes trained back in on Isshin. 'For a moment, it felt like he was going to jump at me again.' The teen rolled his shoulders and put his guard up. "Medical skills are valuable, Kurosaki-san. Being able to heal might be more important than being able to destroy, although I did hear that you are quite strong yourself." The pro hero neither confirmed nor denied. "Why did you pick me sir?"

"I guess that depends if my guess was correct or not." Kimito blinked in confusion. "That dark boy you fought in the tournament is related to you right?" Wide eyes and a deep frown marred the beautiful boy's face. Isshin brought his hands up in a placating gesture. "Woah woah. Sorry if I was wrong." 'Though I'm pretty sure I'm not judging by that reaction.' "I just thought, if these two are related then I'll teach one of them about the struggles of being in the hero business with family." A bit of the tension leaked away from the teen. "Only one person can be number one, and you'd be competing for the same fans. I only take a student every once in a while." Both males let out a small breath. "I actually asked my son to extend a separate invite to that boy. Ichigo's not here now, but he's also a registered professional hero. He isn't my sidekick." This was not news to Kimito. His research into the Kurosaki's had been extensive. "He'd already picked up a student from a different school when I mentioned it though."

"Huh?"

"Yeah. Apparently had his eye on her for a while. A second year from Shin'o Academy's hero program." It was a lesser known private school that catered mostly to groups of people from old, noble families or students that showed a lot of potential. That being said, it didn't have the flair that U.A. became so well known for. The Academy's heroes weren't standing at the top of the billboard. Most retired after eight or so years and pursued careers in politics and administration. Isshin didn't mention that he was also a graduate from the passively hidden institution.

Kimito's eyes took on a faraway look as this information came to him. How could this have happened? All his digging, and the Kurosaki's bring in someone from out of nowhere. Who is this girl going to be? Is she going to be okay around him? Who's her family? The boy resisted the urge to hold his head in his hands. What's done is done.

"THunk!" Kimito jolted from his thoughts at the sudden sound in front of him. His eyes beheld a wooden katana planted in the ground at his feet. Glaring over to Isshin revealed a second practice sword held in his other hand. "Well, I think that's about enough of that. How about a bit of training eh? You can use one right?" Kimito thought over all of his actions that the adult could've seen, and wondered how the man knew he was familiar with swords. "The way you dodge gave you away." Isshin read him like a book. 'He dodged me earlier even though he couldn't see me, but he didn't react to that sword until it landed.'

Kimito rose from his seated position and stretched out his muscles. Isshin seemed to like playing tricks, and the teen thought the man might come at him the moment he touched the blade. "Shall I switch to my hero costume?"

"Take this as a lesson. An enemy won't give you a chance to get ready." The adult lectured with a finger pointing at the sky.

'I'm kinda getting ready anyway right now.' Kimito thought. "An enemy also wouldn't give me a weapon to fight him with." The teen shot sarcastically.

"A villain's weakness is a weapon for you to use. They don't give it to you willingly though. Ready?" Isshin watched the boy take a loose stance with the bokken in his left hand pointed at the ground. "We can have another match in costume later. For now no quirks."

Without declaring start, the pro dashed at the Arrancar with an overhead slash kendo style. Kimito pivoted so that his left was forward to get the attack to barely miss him. Isshin switched to a horizontal sweep when his blade got to the students midsection. The lad's eyes went wide with shock as he was forced to defend, their swords forming a plus sign between them. It was an easy matter for the adult to overpower the young hero. As the wooden katanas came closer to touching his chest, Kimito closed his left eye in concentration.

"Surely someone taught you to never cross blades with a physically stronger opponent." Isshin teased. The match wouldn't be over with the first hit, but he'd hoped to see more than this. Suddenly the adult felt all the force he'd been pressing against disappear. The pro hero nearly fell forward as his slash carried him into the empty spot Kimito used to be in. Honed reflexes kicked in when said teen reappeared with the tip of his blade touching the man's chest. Isshin lowered the hand he was about to use to flick the boy away. Instead of trying to defend himself when Kimito reentered his field of view, the doctor switched to a one-handed grip and held his middle finger back with his thumb on the free hand. "That was pretty impressive again, but I said no quirks."

"It's not a part of my quirk." Kimito took a few breaths in the lull to steady himself. His body still wasn't used to Sonido. Hakua went on regular runs even to this day to make sure his stamina was up to snuff for the technique.

Isshin noted the teen's condition and nodded. "Alright. Let's keep going."

**XXX **

The two kept at for another twenty minutes before calling it quits. Kimito dropped to one knee and sucked in oxygen desperately. Isshin had an oddly relaxed nature that vanished when he found an opening. The bruises that were surely forming on Kimito's shoulders and the outside of his legs were a testament to that. The pro stood over the kid without a scratch on him to prove the two just finished sparring.

"That's enough for now." Isshin went over the short match in his head. Kimito favoured slight dodges to create openings and stabbing attacks that maximized his range. After that initial shot to his chest, the boy managed to barely jab the pro once in the stomach and another time deep in his back. If it had been a real katana, the final hit would've paralyzed Isshin. Unlike Kimito, the Kurosaki patriarch used mostly aggressive slashes. At times the doctor even swung the wooden sword like a baseball bat to smack the boy with the flat instead of the edge. "Go get changed into your costume, and we'll go over some hero basics."

"Yes sir, Kurosaki-san." Kimito gave a respectful bow to his skilled teacher. When he returned, he was decked out in a long sleeved, white jacket with black borders. Kimito's pleated hakama, tied by a black sash, billowed out down to the middle of his calves, but the ends were tucked into a pair of black combat boots.

Isshin didn't know what to make of it. There was no way of telling what the boy was capable of while wearing that. Somehow the adult could imagine the winner of the sports festival tournament walking around with explosion motifs as part of his costume. Kimito wasn't carrying any kind of support gear either. No tool belt, back up weapon, medical supplies, or anything. 'Just himself and his quirk.'

The two sat in the small office of Kurosaki Clinic as Isshin went over the professional aspects of the hero business. Kimito got the feeling that All Might would get along well with Mr. Kurosaki. Neither of the two explained the details of heroing very well. At least the man kept his paperwork in order, or maybe that was his daughters doing. "Man, Ichigo sure is taking his sweet time. Where is he anyway?"

Kimito couldn't find a way to respond to that. Isshin's son could be anywhere in Tokyo for all he knew. The young Arrancar allowed his sense to extend out past the house. He felt the twins in their rooms, and the neighbors in their homes. He went farther to the end of the street when a massive spiritual pressure weighed down on him. For a moment, Kimito felt like he was back home where everyone walked around with their energy leaking freely. The people he observed here in Japan usually showed average sized spirits. It didn't matter if they were pro heros or convenience store workers. Aizawa was the biggest in U.A. until Kimito saw All Might go all out at the USJ. This newcomer dwarfed Isshin and Aizawa, but didn't stand above All Might or even Kimito's father. The teen took a breath now that he found a scale for the incoming presence. It wasn't something he could win against currently, so he reminded himself of the exits. Kimito was more than on edge when it came right up to the front door.

"Are you alright, Kimito-kun?" Isshin noticed the boy looking like he was ready to bolt.

"Somebody really strong is coming in."

The pro hero was stunned. 'So that's what it is. Some kind of person sensing. He knew I was behind the door, but couldn't feel the wooden sword coming at him.' The father said nothing as said strong person entered the office. Tall and muscular with a head of spiky, orange hair. Ichigo Kurosaki entered the room with his right fist raised and steaming. Kimito rose and made for the window. "Wait Kimito-kun! This is my son, Ichigo." The boy stopped after opening the back-up exit.

"I told ya I've had enough of yer sass!" The twenty year old was looking slightly over his broad shoulder at someone behind him as he said that. When the young man faced the room's occupants, his eyebrow raised with an unspoken question. "I'm back, and I brought my intern. Come out."

Coming from behind Ichigo was a young looking girl with thick, black hair in a bob cut. A loose bang cut diagonally between her purple eyes. She bowed respectfully to everyone, revealing the comical lump on her head that was still steaming from Ichigo's strike, and rose smiling. "It's nice to meet all of you. My name is Rukia Kuchiki. Please take care of me."


	15. Chapter 15

BNHA - Arrancar Chronicles: Chapter 15

**A.N.** Cameos don't mean crossovers. Admittedly, I made Huecojima bigger than I thought, and it has to have a population. Instead of flooding the world with throwaway characters, I'll just use and mark peeps from stuff I'm into. I don't own anything.

* * *

Previously on Arrancar Chronicles; Hakua L. arrives at Huecojima a few days after the attack on Wonderweiss. Principal Nezu has granted permission for three weeks of medical leave as long as the teen is ready for testing when he gets back. All the way in Las Noches, Harribel and Barragan notice the appearance of his spiritual pressure. The crescent moon still shines over the island, so the family worries about the lurking dangers.

**Huecojima - Evening, the day Hakua arrived**

The red sun slipping away into the horizon slowly eased back on its promises of endless heat. The day had been long, and one could clearly see the signs of the approaching summer. Huecojima was well known for its empty desert fields. The nearby countries considered it both a wasteland and a waste of land. To Hakua L. it is home. His true home. Well, wherever the boy's family lived is his home, and they chose this corner of the world. No shade from the sun, fortress/palace far off in the distance, and a whole lot of sand. The teen woke from his afternoon nap and saw that his feet were buried in the stuff. The journey from the harbor was difficult. To make it hard on potential land invaders, his ancestors didn't extend the road all the way to the coast. Hakua needed to make it more than halfway home to reach the easy stretch of pavement that led to the gate. So far, he'd gone up and down on dune after dune from the moment he got off the ferry to about two in the afternoon. Running at high speed with Sonido didn't make it as easy as he wanted it to either. The golden haired boy adjusted the sweat-soaked mask covering his mouth and sipped on another of his water bottles. He slept through the afternoon in part because he was exhausted, but also because he wouldn't be able to sleep soundly through the night. The moon hadn't quite reached the half state, and that meant hollows would spawn around him.

Hollows. They were spirit monsters that inhabited Huecojima in great numbers. The creatures came in many shapes and sizes, but shared a few common traits. White, bone masks covering their human face, a hole going straight through their chest, and a horrible roar like the echoing wail of tortured souls. Out in nature, a hollow was relatively peaceful. The spirit beings were mostly solitary. They didn't go out of their way to crush plants, insects, or animals. It's only when they come into contact with people that their true nature showed. Hollows don't care for human flesh. They eat human spirits. The stronger your spirit is, the more likely they would sniff you out and hunt you. The Arrancar were prime time targets, and Hakua knew it. Using his quirk to subjugate one would only draw more, and he couldn't fight them forever. Hakua stretched out the kinks he felt and got ready to march through the night as quietly as he could.

**XXX **

But of course one found him. Hakua had been traveling West towards Las Noches using an old school compass to guide him and a flashlight to see with. The creature didn't come because of the light though. Hakua, unlike Kimito, has always had problems when it came to sensing other spirits and suppressing his own. It was a skill based in concentration, which he sorely lacked. Where a regular person will look like a crumb to a hollow, the young Arrancar was walking around like a full plated dinner.

The creature in question was vaguely humanoid in shape with extremely long, muscular arms. It was hunched over, as if weighed down by its exaggerated limbs, and used its dark hands like feet. The bone mask had four red streaks like claw marks cutting across the monster's face. The ground rumbled everytime the hollow moved. A thick, frothy drool fell from its maw as it lumbered closer to Hakua hiding behind a random sand dune. Clearly the three meter tall (foot to shoulder since it's bent over) monster knew Hakua was near, but not where exactly.

'Should I just blast him and run for it?' Hakua shook the thought away. Even the slight jump in his spiritual pressure from firing off one laser would give him away to any other hollows in the general area. The teen quickly turned on his flashlight to check the compass. 'Shit!' The thing was blocking his way. Since there was nothing to it but to go around, Hakua slowly did.

**Unknown place**

Wonderweiss Margera stared deeply into the darkness that continued to swirl around him. He couldn't tell how much time had passed since he first became aware of his condition, but with nothing else to do, the teen began to think. It was difficult. His current environment made it hard for the young Arrancar's mind to just wander off. There was no hope in escaping from reality. Imagination wasn't the key.

Wonderweiss wasn't sure whether it took days, hours, or minutes for the figurative divine spark to reach him. A memory. A wrinkled, grey-haired woman who called out his name. He couldn't see her in full, but the sound made his chest warm with a lost feeling. 'Kaa-san?' The blonde thought hard on who the woman might be. She looked like she could be someone's grandmother, but that felt wrong somehow in his mind. Was she his mother?

Another feeling came to the front of his mind. Playing and laughing outside when suddenly purple light shot out of his mouth. It was so scary. The woman he could almost swear was his mother showed a painful expression in this memory.

Then Wonderweiss was on a boat all alone. He carried a backpack full of dried food and water bottles. He stepped off it onto a land covered in sand. To the small him, each dune looked like a hill or small mountain. When he reached the top of a particularly big one, Wonderweiss saw a massive box-like building cutting against the horizon. "Go to Las Noches Wonderweiss." The old woman had told him.

Fear. The teeth chattering, heart quickening fear of a prey animal. Wonderweiss didn't know back then, but he knew now what those bone-faced titans were. Hollows. The one he was hiding from was slow, but it chased him every night. He just needed to make it till sunrise. It always vanished when the Sun came up.

Light. Just like the kind he made. The light that separated him from his mother. This one was dark red though, and it smashed into the monster that threatened him. The hollow fell with one last echoing roar. Tracing his eyes back to where the light came from, Wonderweiss saw a child just like him. The boy still had his dark hand outstretched, and golden blonde hair waved in the wind from his explosion. 'Nii-nii.'

Safety. Radiant, just like the desert Sun. The dark boy who saved him brought Wonderweiss to the adults nearby. When the light of morning arrived, everyone piled into dune buggies to ride back to Las Noches. "My name's Hakua L." His savior mentioned during the long drive.

Confusion. The adults didn't know what to do with Wonderweiss. An abandoned child out in the wastelands of Huecojima that didn't belong to any of the current residents. All the boy had was some food, water, a blanket, and his name. Then the purple light showed up again when he burped at the dinner table. Everyone said he was family after that.

Playing, laughing, learning, living, and eventually, loving. Hakua introduced Wonderweiss to every member of the family. A black-haired boy who swore he was his savior's brother. A three year old girl that followed at Hakua's heel whenever she found him. A cold woman who wore a mask over her face. She had hair just like Hakua though, so Wonderweiss would try to be nice. A giant man who was bald except for the black ponytail at the back of his head. A scarred, old man who Wonderweiss needed to always be respectful to. There were soo many people here that were apparently his family.

Wonderweiss continued down the path of his memories in the dark abyss. There was nowhere else for him to go after all.

**Huecojima**

The knuckle dragging monster picked up the pace at some point during the chase. It was like the hollow knew the difference between the lingering traces of the cold trail and Hakua's current heading. 'Clever bastard.' The Arrancar thought with malice in his heart. The boy didn't bother turning off the flashlight anymore. The compass told him that he was finally traveling in the right direction. Hakua had taken the mindless beast in a wide arc to get around it. Las Noches should be ahead of him, but there was no way of knowing how many kilometers. The thudding of the creature's steps was getting farther away. The current jog Hakua had maintained for the last twenty-odd minutes couldn't be kept forever. Hollows were inexhaustible if they weren't wounded. No physical weapon on him meant Hakua's options were limited to running or using his quirk. The teen's fists just weren't at the level of his Uncle Yammy yet. 'Damn! I need a sword!'

The light of the waxing moon coming out from behind a cloud faintly showed the palace in the distance. Right now, it looked more like a mirage than his home. 'So far.' Hakua's eyes cut to the side when the knuckle dragging hollow chasing him gave off a roar. The teen stopped jogging when the sand in front of him began shifting. Shaking off the dune was a serpentine hollow with four whiskers coming off its bone mask. The monster's gleaming yellow eyes narrowed at Hakua who opened up his fists at it. The catfish-snake opened up its mouth and roared at the teen. "Eat this!" Hakua's bloody red light went right for the gaping maw, but the hollow coiled away quickly like a cobra. He cursed and started running when the bullet train-sized monster began zigzagging at him. 'Now there's two, and I'll probably lure another two because of that shot.' Hakua controlled his breathing and checked the compass again. The snake had forced him a bit off track, but he just needed to put some distance between them. 'Killing the knuckle dragger from before probably would've been easier.' Hindsight is twenty-twenty. 'Hollows that work together are so unfair. Are you going to share me as a meal?' Hakua joked with himself in an attempt to escape reality. He had a right to be mad. Most hollows were solitary creatures.

Ten minutes passed without seeing ole knuckle dragger, but the snake kept pursuing without pause. It was naturally the faster of the two hollows, and kept up with its fleeing prey with ease. Hakua's lungs were burning. The boy had pulled down the mask covering his face to get more oxygen in a while ago. Between the two, he'd probably been jogging and running for about an hour without stopping. Slowing down meant the snake would get him. Fighting meant more hollows were likely to come after him. Even though it tired him more, Hakua used Sonido to reach the top of a large sand dune and slid down the other side. He'd put about twenty meters between him and the snake, so the boy tried to steady his breathing as he held his chest. 'Fuck! Wonderweiss is waiting for me.' Without thinking, the lad's eyes fluttered shut while he sucked in breath after breath. "Wonderweiss." He panted. The muscles in Hakua's thick thighs screamed now that he'd finally stopped. Golden hair fell over the Arrancar's face as his head drooped down.

Aqua green eyes burst open as an echoed roar went off in front of him. Not catfish-snake, but knuckle dragger. The clever thing managed to sneak up on him like a true apex predator. Apparently there were a lot of sadists among the hollows. Instead of eating him while he was defenseless, the monster wanted Hakua to fall to despair. One eye closed in exertion, Hakua gathered energy into his hands. "Don't fuck with me." He managed through gritted teeth.

Hakua's eyes widened even further when a man appeared in front of the knuckle dragger's face with a raised katana. "Die!" He cleaved the beast in half seemingly effortlessly and gently fell to the ground as the monster began dissolving. Hollows occasionally interacted with the physical things around them, but they were definitely spiritual creatures. The proof of this is that when a hollow is slain, its body would always dissolve into an ash-like substance near instantly. The grey-haired young man that felled the knuckle dragging hollow collected the ash into a clasped jar that was previously on his back.

Hakua blearily took in the bandages wrapped around the man's head and called out to him. "Di Roy-san!" The addressed started a bit when his name was called. "Over here!"

Di Roy Rinker turned to the teen's voice. The bandages covered his right eye, but his left shined with recognition. "Hakua-sama! Oh shit." Remains forgotten, the Fraccion rushed over to the exhausted boy quickly. "What are you doing over here? Barragan-sama told us that you were somewhere out in the desert, but none of the sensor squad could find you. Team 3 radioed in that they saw a red laser fire off into the sky, but you were nowhere to be found out where they traced it." The questions just kept spilling out from the adult without letting Hakua answer anything. Di Roy opened up Hakua's backpack and fished out a water bottle. "Here. You drink, and I'll call in that I found you." He pulled a walkie talkie with a ridiculously extended antennae from his pocket. "Team 2 Di Roy to Patrol Leader, do you copy? Over."

"Huh? What do you got?" A loud, rude voice came back through.

"I found Hakua-sama. I repeat. I found Hakua-sama. Over."

Hakua reached out towards Di Roy's pants leg, but fell on his face. "Thrr's nother." He grumbled into the sand.

"Di Roy, this is Team 1. What's your position? Over." A female voice called out this time.

"I think we're just outside of Sector J. Over."

"All units converge!" The original voice ordered gruffly. "Don't move Di Roy! I wanna see my nephew."

"Will do sir." Di Roy brought his black eyes back to the sight of Hakua with his face in the sand. "Uhh, are ya hungry too? Just wait a bit. You can eat in the dune buggies while we finish up the patrol." Hakua grumbled again. "I'm sorry, what was that?"

The dark teen rolled onto his back. "There's another one!" As if called by the shout, catfish-snake burst out of the sand dune behind the adult. It rushed straight forward to try and catch both males in its gaping mouth. "I've had a chance to take a breather now dumbass!" Hakua rose on his knee and pointed his right hand.

"Don't!" Di Roy stopped him. "I may be quirkless Hakua-sama, but I can handle a lone hollow. Don't do something that'll bring more." The patroller readied his sword and steadied his breathing. The snake hollow zigzagged across the sand just like before. It was hard to see with all its violent movement in just the light of the moon, but the whiskers on the bone mask weren't just flowing in the wind. They were slightly twitching. Di Roy ran at the monster carefully so as not to slip in the loose sand and jumped for its face. When he went to cut it down like old knuckle dragger from before, the snake's head reared back. The Fraccion sliced through only air while his opponent was free to take advantage of his exposed fall. Another roar rang out as it went to swallow Di Roy whole.

"As if I'd let you!" Hakua used Sonido to deliver a devastating kick to the snake body. It wasn't nearly enough to lift the creature off the ground, but it did its job of stunning it. Just for good measure, Di Roy swung again and managed to gash the being's long neck. A thick, black blood poured from the wound as the hollow thrashed on the ground. It rose with narrowed eyes and burrowed into the sand.

"Stay sharp. He won't give up." Di Roy warned. He'd been on enough crescent moon patrols to know that these things wouldn't run from a baby cut like that. Sure enough after two minutes of standing still and watching the area, the sand near Hakua started to shift. The snake hollow tried the same swallowing technique on its original prey. Hakua didn't move. A few meters away, Di Roy prepared his katana. "Sonido Flash." A bass sound rang out as the man appeared behind the hollow's head. Di Roy's sword was raised into the air and covered in thick blood. Moments before the thing could collide with Hakua, a black line bisecting its mask formed, and the hollow dropped to the ground. Di Roy let out a breath as the catfish-snake hollow dissolved just like its partner.

**XXX**

It didn't take long for the rest of the patrol squads to locate the two. Hakua rested under Di Roy's watchful eye until the sound of a lot of moving sand woke him from his light nap. The dune buggies used by the residents of Huecojima were fully electric and therefore, produced little noise. Most of them could fit six average sized adults, which is the standard size of a patrol team, but larger individuals sometimes requested an electric ATV for solo use. The cargo hatches were full of glass jars much bigger than the one on Di Roy's back. Some of them were filled with the ashen remains of slain hollows, but most weren't. As the grey-haired Fraccion reported to his team, he poured the ash he'd collected into a partially filled jar on the back of one of the buggies.

An athletic man with bright blue hair and equally blue eyes stepped forward out of the group of adults. He wore a short sleeved white shirt with black borders. It was open in the front to expose his chest and stomach, and he had a katana of his own attached to the black sash that tied his hakama. "Yo Hakua. Oyaji told me you'd be out here somewhere. Aren't you supposed to be in hero school tomorrow morning? Did summer come early for you or something?" The man laughed heartily at his own joke, exposing his long canines in the process.

Hakua barrelled into the man's toned chest with an extremely tight hug. The teen's dark hands like claws clenched onto the man in his late twenties. "Grimmjow-ojisan!" His voice cracked as tears threatened to pour out. "I have to go home to see him!"

* * *

**A.N.** So I'll do a powers list this chapter so anyone can know what people are capable of. Family tree will come out with the next Hakua/Wonderweiss focused chapter.

Laser Quirk (Cero) - Only the Arrancar can use this. Hollows and Fracciones can't. Wonderweiss technically can, but doesn't because he isn't training to become a hero.

Sonido \- High speed running technique. Originally a Fraccion skill, it was taught to most of the Arrancar family. You have to have a well trained body to use it though.

Hierro (Hasn't been actively shown yet) - Rock-like or steel-like skin hardening technique. Originally a Fraccion skill, it was taught to only a few members of the Arrancar family. Protects against cuts and dulls impacts, but won't save you from fire, ice, electricity, ect.

Spirit sense (Pesquisa) - Kind of a side effect power of using spirit based techniques. Allows one to feel, find, and measure the spiritual pressure of others. Takes a lot of concentration, so not all Arrancar can use it. Some Fracciones and even people not from Huecojima can use it or something similar.

Airwalk (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon)(Hasn't been shown yet) - A way of controlling one's jumps and falls in a manner that looks like running or flying. This does affect movement speed in the air, so long falls become safe. According to my story, this is the first Fraccion technique ever taught to the Arrancar family. Only a few people can do it nowadays because of how little it is needed.

Garganta (Hasn't been shown yet) - Portals plain and simple. Nobody can do this yet. Wait till I bring it out though. It'll technically be categorized as an Arrancar technique, but Fracciones make it possible.


	16. Chapter 16

BNHA - Arrancar Chronicles: Chapter 16

* * *

**Huecojima**

Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez was not known as a calm man. Among all his siblings, only Yammy could rival the blue-haired Arrancar's overwhelming hotheadedness. Grimmjow was the type that didn't hesitate to use violence to solve his problems. There was no need to ask who threw the first punch if that man was involved, and he probably got the last hit in to finish a conflict too. That was the kind of person that was now producing a series of thunderclap-like sounds as he rushed towards Arrancar Tower.

The information given to him by Hakua was the cause of this. The teen had rested through the night after being picked up by his patrol squads. On the drive back to the palace, Hakua told his uncle all about why he'd come back home; Wonderweiss was attacked by a Remnant. His nephew didn't know much else other than the fact that the younger blonde hadn't woken since the incident. The patrol teams dropped Hakua off outside the hospital and headed for the warehouse near the growing fields to finish up the night's work. The Arrancar left the reports to the Fracciones stating that he had business to attend to back home. Grimmjow's fists clenched until his nails bit through the skin of his palms. 'Nobody told me!' Someone in his family had been ambushed, and nobody said anything about it. 'Wonderweiss is a child!' A pale blue light enveloped his body as his home came into view. Grimmjow's spiritual pressure roared about him like a wild jaguar. The assistant sitting at the desk outside Barragan's office, Ggio Vega, didn't even try to stop the fifth son of the Espada. Still in his work uniform, Grimmjow kicked his father's door in with all of his might. "How could you? How could you hide something like this from me? From all of us?"

As if knowing what the man came for, all three adults from the Japan visit were waiting in the room. Sitting in the bleached white throne behind a dark desk was the patriarch of the Arrancar family, Barragan Louisenbairn. Tia Harribel and Yammy Llargo stood on opposite ends of their father in front of the paperwork laden desk. Yammy showed a conflicted look on his face as he scratched the back of his neck. "Well, a lot happened in such a short time."

Grimmjow's sharp blue eyes cut over to his elder brother. "I don't want excuses." He hissed. "Tell me everything so I can crush the bastard that did this."

"That's exactly why I didn't want you to know." Harribel's calm voice interjected. It was hard to read her expression as always. She was still wearing a white face mask that covered everything below her nose and down to the base of her neck. Her heavy bangs and thick eyelashes made checking her eyes just as difficult. "What will more violence bring aside from new sacrifices?" Harribel's lidded eyes narrowed ever so slightly.

Grimmjow bared his sharp teeth at his older sister. "Wonderweiss is innocent! He doesn't deserve to be attacked just for who he is! None of us do." A pained look came over him as his eyes flashed over to the scar on his father's eye.

"While that is true, for now let's calm down and talk things out." Barragan entered the conversation as the voice of reason. The three revealed everything they knew about the situation. The park, the burn, and the child's current condition.

Grimmjow held his head in his hand. The tiny arcs of blood on his palm met his forehead right around the area that was burned on Wonderweiss. "And we don't know who did this?" The family had focused more on pulling out of the area than sweeping for enemies. It made sense with the baby in potentially critical condition, but Grimmjow couldn't help wanting more. He shifted to face his sister directly. "Hakua was in the desert last night." His head tilted with an unasked question.

"I felt his power."

"When?"

She hesitated. "Yesterday afternoon."

The anger started building back up in Grimmjow's eyes. "Why didn't you send someone for him then? Someone could've found him earlier."

Yammy was surprisingly able to read the flow of the conversation and knew his little brother was about to lose himself to the anger. His large mass silently inched bit by bit into the shorter man's blindspot.

"I made sure to pass the message to the patrol squads that Hakua was out there." Barragan rumbled.

An animalistic growl escaped Grimmjow's lips. "Di Roy said he was cornered by two hollows working together."

"Hakua's a natural fighter just like you. He can fight all the way through the night." The mother spoke.

"As if you would know. He was trying to get here without slowing down for a fight." The fifth son of Barragan swung his hand out to the side, scattering a few papers on the desk with the wind produced. "No weapon, no backup, and hollows chasing him nonstop." Grimmjow shook his head. "He could've died! He almost did! He's your son Tia!" He took two steps towards his older sister before he was raised into the air by thick, tanned arms. Yammy locked his hands behind Grimmjow's head and secured the man in a full nelson. Sky blue eyes glared at aqua green. "You chose to keep him. That means you have to be his mother. You can't stick it to that murdering rapist by letting him die out there!"

"**Grimmjow**, that's enough!" Yammy bellowed in his ear.

"Ah…" His blue eyes softened just a bit at the visible regret in Harribel's body language. "I went too far. You can let me down now Yammy." The older brother did so after a nod from Barragan. "I was just trying to make a point, but I guess umm… Sorry Nee-san."

**Huecojima General Hospital - About two hours earlier**

Hakua L. wasted little time entering the automatic doors of the hospital after being dropped off by his uncle and crew. He was bursting with energy because the patrol team allowed him to sleep to his fullest through the night and on the ride home. The dark Arrancar didn't have much to tell them back then. A couple weeks off from school, tests when he got back (if he chose to go back), a Remnant attack, and a comatose Wonderweiss. Grimmjow was dangerously quiet during the ride after hearing about the events after U.A.'s sports festival. Di Roy had been kind enough to call the hospital ahead of time to alert the staff that a visitor needed to be escorted. The nurse waiting for him was an athletic looking woman with European features. She only confirmed Hakua's identity and the two briskly walked to the intensive care ward where Wonderweiss lay.

"He's in there, right?" Hakua was frozen in front of the door with his hand on the knob. The blonde nurse took note of the short, rapid breaths the older brother struggled with. She reassured the worried boy that he could take his time. Barragan had ordered that an amount of furniture be added to the room as the elder knew Hakua probably wouldn't leave. Hakua opened the door and instantly sagged a bit when he heard the steady sound of the heart rate monitor beeping away.

Wonderweiss was resting in the center of a queen-sized bed with his torso propped up by a deluge of luxurious pillows. Tubes and wires of all kinds led to a couple machines at the side of the bed away from the window. A breathing mask was still attached to his face, and his forehead was wrapped in bandages like Di Roy's. There was no blood. Wonderweiss was clean like fresh snow, but the only part of him that moved was his stomach. It rose and fell with every breath.

Hakua entered the ICU like a devout worshipper would a temple. His left hand reached out for the unresponsive boy sleeping on the bed like he was the Holy Grail. His mouth opened and closed a few times, but nothing more than a "Wha'' sound came out. Each of Hakua's steps were shaky. If the nurse tried touching him or a draft entered the room, it was certain that he'd fall over.

"I'll go retrieve the doctor. He'll answer any questions you might have." The nurse left when she saw Hakua tenderly place his hand on her patient's cheek. 'What a doting older brother.'

"Wonderweiss, my baby. Blessed child. I'm right here beside you." Hakua whispered to the sleeping beauty. "I'm so sorry, but I can't apologize enough." Tears built up in Hakua's eyes and started flowing as his breath hitched. "My baby. I'm so sorry. I love you. Come back to me. I promise I'll play, so just ask me one more time." Hakua moved one hand down to Wonderweiss's chest and felt the heart beating below. His other hand threaded itself with one of his little brother's and he idly let his thumb stroke the fingers caught between.

**XXX **

Dr. Szayelaporro Grantz, Chief of Medical Staff, walked calmly to the intensive care ward in HJ General Hospital. The nurse on-duty had informed him that his second patient had arrived and was waiting for him with the first. Dr. Grantz was a slim fellow with pink hair and sharp features. The glasses over his amber eyes couldn't hide the way he sped through simulation after simulation on how this was about to go down.

Szayelaporro was born and raised on Huecojima. In a land where so many were powerful, he was quirkless. He didn't need a quirk. Growing up, Szayelaporro put his all into his studies. Everything he could get his hands on. His parents were more than happy to fuel the boy's thirst for knowledge. Huecojima would take care of people with skills and talent, and reward the shining stars the most. Whatever their baby chose to pursue, he'd be the greatest at it. And great he became. Dr. Grantz outshined his peers and earned a doctorate degree in biomedical engineering. His thirst for learning and work ethic brought him favor from the previous director of the hospital, but Barragan struck first. Instead of becoming the new director, Szayelaporro was made the Chief of Medical Staff and allowed to devote more time to research. He didn't even have to put time in at the hospital if he didn't want to. He did act as the primary care physician for most of the Arrancar family though.

Wonderweiss's case was something of an anomaly. Physically speaking, the only lasting damage was the scar on the boy's forehead. Szayelaporro had sent a picture of the symbol to the college to see if someone could get an idea of the weapon used to brand the child. In an ironic twist, the scar looked a bit like a three pointed tiara. That aside, the lad was fine. Physically, at least. Harribel confirmed that his spiritual pressure hadn't recovered much. A newborn child could give off more energy than Wonderweiss right now. This was a never before seen situation. The last Remnant attack was about thirteen years ago, but it had been purely physical. All of them were. Loss of spiritual pressure was unheard of. Dr. Grantz would have to hunker down in the lab to create a device to monitor, and if need be, stimulate Wonderweiss's very soul.

The Arrancar family physician gently knocked twice on the door of the ICU room. "Hakua-kun, it's Dr. Grantz. I'm coming in ok?" There was a faint sound of rustling clothes, but no denial. Szayelaporro noticed the standing boy make one more pass at his cheeks. Hakua's eyes were red and puffy as expected. "Hello Hakua-kun. I'm sorry that we have to meet like this." The last time he saw the young Arrancar was for a check up with Kimito before the boys left for Japan. Szayelaporro prepared the medical documents their school requested himself, making sure to leave out the details nobody outside needed to be aware of.

Hakua's gaze flicked between Dr. Grantz at the door and Wonderweiss. "Good morning Dr. Grantz." Szayelaporro held in the smile that his young ward hadn't forgotten his manners in his emotional state. The chances that he would have a fit were low.

"You want to know about Wonderweiss-kun right?"

"Ah. Before that, would it be alright if I try to call Kimito? He would want to know too." Hakua held up his phone. Dr. Grantz let him know that it would be no problem, and moved to check Wonderweiss's readings.

**U.A. High School**

Kimito Llargo forced himself to concentrate harder than ever on the algebra lesson by Ectoplasm. 'So this is what you do here.' He made the notes as detailed as possible. 'I'll have to guide Nii-san when he gets back.' Kimito was sure to catch each step of the breaking down process to make the tutoring sessions he knew were on the horizon easier. The braided teen was so caught up in his note taking that the sudden vibration of his phone made him snap his wooden pencil in half. Kimito slid his phone out of his pocket as discreetly as possible.

Hakua's message read, "_I'm at the hospital with Wonderweiss. Dr. Grantz is gonna talk about what's going on. Can you get out of class for a bit?_"

Black eyes went wide in the middle of the classroom. "Sensei!" Kimito rose from his chair seconds after the realization hit him. "I need to take a call. Can I step outside for a bit please?" Everyone in the room turned to look at their class president.

Ectoplasm showed an almost unreadable face. "I don't think that's such a good idea Kimito-kun. This material is going to be on your mid-term exams. You don't want to miss it."

The Arrancar clenched and relaxed his hands a couple times. "It's umm, a call from my doctor." Kimito regretted not thinking about how to word this beforehand. There was no way for him to give some kind of secret wink or hand gesture with everyone looking at him.

"Is that true?" The panicky look on the teen made Ectoplasm doubt his words.

"Uhm… Sensei?" Izuku raised his hand from his spot behind Katsuki. "I'll make sure Kimito-san gets the notes, so could you let him off this time?"

"Hmm." Ectoplasm stared at the green hero cadet for a moment in thought. "If it's you, then I can be sure that Kimito won't miss out on anything. Go ahead Kimito-kun, but I won't forgive you if your test score doesn't reach my expectations."

"Thank you very much Ectoplasm-sensei. Midoriya-san." Kimito bowed respectfully and left the room with his phone in hand. "_Got permission. Video call me._"

"Hey beautiful..."

"Nii-san..." Who started crying first? Well, it doesn't really matter does it? "So, uhh… Where is he?" Hakua turned the camera to the peacefully sleeping Wonderweiss. "Oh. Oh baby no." Kimito whispered. The black-eyed boy sniffled to himself in the empty hallway and placed a hand on his forehead. He had no way of knowing that his palm was now covering the same spot where Wonderweiss's scar was. "Dr. Grantz?" The camera shifted again.

"I'm right here Kimito-kun. Boys, I ask you to please accept my apology." Szayelaporro explained to the two about their brother's condition when he arrived at the hospital. Head injuries that a nurse's healing quirk had taken care of quickly, a burn on his forehead that wouldn't disappear, and a low spiritual pressure that wasn't recovering.

"His spirit!" Kimito naturally reacted harder to that. Hakua still couldn't sense other people's energy, so he didn't notice the lack of it coming from his little brother. Kimito on the other hand, understood clearly that it was indicative of low life energy. Healthy people have solid spiritual pressure. Fading only occurs the closer one gets to dying. 'If Wonderweiss is hovering down at that level…'

"Show us the scar."

"I don't think that's for the best right now." Dr. Grantz offered up a bit of resistance, but Hakua's stare forced his hand. Hakua pointed the camera at Wonderweiss as the pink-haired man gently unwrapped the bandages. Underneath the blonde's bangs and stretching across most of his forehead was a vicious, black mark in the shape of a three-point, tiara-like thing. "It doesn't fade no matter how many times the nurse uses her quirk. I'm afraid it's permanent." Dr. Grantz delivered the news gravely.

The camera started shaking violently. The doctor was taking the time to wash the area and apply fresh ointment and bandages. "Nii-san!"

"Sorry. I'm calm." Dr. Grantz told the two that he would be looking into inventing a device to detect, and hopefully stimulate, Wonderweiss's powers. Hakua was told that he was free to stay here for as long as he wanted. The larger bed, dresser, and small couch were brought in with him in mind after all. "Thank you Dr. Grantz. Kimito, you get back to class. I love you."

"I love you too, Nii-san. I'll call you tonight. Bye Wonderweiss." The call ended. Kimito stared at his phone without moving for a few minutes. He wasn't sure what haunted him more; How close his little brother was to death, the weak spirit, the nasty burn, or the realization that his family's sworn enemy would never let them forget. 'We're innocent!' "Wonderweiss didn't fight in that war." He hissed aloud unintentionally. "We don't deserve this. Why can't anyone let it go?"

When Kimito Llargo reentered the classroom, the ones who'd been trying to improve his mood recently immediately noticed that he was down again. His fists were clenched tightly and his black eyes were sharpened down to pinpricks. 'Kimito-san/kun/chan.'

**Huecojima**

Freshly showered and in an exercise shirt with black gym shorts, Hakua called for the on-duty nurse. The same blonde woman returned and asked how she could help.

"Actually, I was wondering what Wonderweiss's daily routine is gonna look like for now. Is there anything I can help with? Something you can teach me?" Hakua offered himself up as an aide to the staff. It wasn't unheard of for the Arrancar family to have preference on who tended to their needs, but the Fraccion nurse could see this was just the desperation of a loving relative.

Without disturbing the patient, she explained how they would clean Wonderweiss, insert his feeding tube, and address his burn. The elder brother got a bit antsy at the mention of the scar, but contained himself. "If his condition doesn't improve soon, we may have to look at physical therapy to keep his muscles from experiencing atrophy." She forewarned.

**XXX **

Barragan Louisenbairn didn't often need to admit he was wrong. As the leader of Huecojima, people tended to back off on their stance against him in every situation. Nobody stood to gain much from opposing the Arrancar family. They took care of hard workers and contributors. Living on a politically isolated, desert island is hard. People had to work together to make it run as smooth as it did. Finding yourself on the opposite side of the ones in power was a quick way to find yourself without support. Unless you were family. Barragan knew his son was right. Holding the information of the attack was bound to cause more harm than good. With that thought in mind, the elder called a family meeting with all his children that were currently in Las Noches.

The Espada sat at the head of a long, oval shaped table. The high back of the chairs in this room were stiff and uncomfortable compared to his office throne. At his right and left were empty seats where the mothers of his children were supposed to sit. The one on his right was almost always empty considering that woman's need to leave the island in pursuit of rare knowledge. The chair at his left was more honorary in nature. Its occupant, while beloved by most of the family, was not welcome by the right hand of the Espada. Out of respect to the true matriarch, she'd never sat in on a family meeting despite siring two of Barragan's children.

The next closest, which was reserved for his oldest, was also empty. Coyote Starrk was still in Russia with his daughter Lilynette. Tia sat in her seat with her arms folded beneath her breasts. The empty spot for Ulquiorra didn't bother her much. Nnoitra Gilga swung his leg impatiently as he waited for the only person missing that was inside Las Noches. Grimmjow's twin sister, Nelliel Tu Odelschwanck, was the only member not yet in attendance. Yammy yawned in the silence. He knew what this was all about, but couldn't get serious until they started proper.

"Geez. Where is that girl?" Nnoitra switched to drumming his fingers on the table, his annoyance plain to see.

Harribel leveled an empty stare at her little brother, "Probably looking for someone to watch young NJ. We don't meet often, and this was quite sudden." Tia reasoned that the likely cause for her half-sister's lateness was the need for a babysitter. Even at five years old, Nel Jr. was too curious to be left alone for more than an hour. Five more minutes passed with the family sitting in relative silence. Nnoitra's rhythmic pacing as his agitation grew couldn't be stopped, so it became the background noise. "Here she comes." Harribel sensed the woman rushing towards the door.

"Finally!"

"Shut up!" Grimmjow defended his sister with bared teeth. Nnoitra was only a few years older than him, but the taller man lorded it and anything else he could over the twins every chance he got. They were the half siblings after all.

"Sorry I'm late everyone. Kagura-chan was busy, so I had to find someone else to watch NJ." Nelliel entered the room while scratching the back of her head. She took her place next to her fraternal twin. "Hey Grimm-nii. How was work last night?"

The blue-haired man looked away from her over towards the ceiling. "Tch. We found Hakua out in the desert and brought him back."

"I see. I see. Hakua-kun huh." She nodded her head sagely. "Eh?" It took a moment for that to process. "Uh, did summer come early?" Even though she was a mother, Nelliel was still prone to moments of airheadedness like she had been growing up. Only time would tell if her daughter would develop the same nature.

"No Nelliel."

"Tou-sama?"

Barragan rose and everyone quieted to hear what he would say. "Hakua's return is a part of what I called all of you to talk about." Just as Grimmjow wanted, Barragan told his children about the Japan trip. He spared no detail when it came to how they handled the situation. Nnoitra's heated glare at Harribel was a bit worrying, but the father said nothing. "That's why Hakua came back. Grimmjow, did he tell you anything?"

"He's got a bit less than three weeks to decide whether he's going back or not. He'll have to be ready for tests if he does."

Nelliel looked a bit worried. "You don't think he'll go back?"

"Don't be stupid!" Nnoitra growled. Grimmjow rose with the aggression. "Hakua's always been fond of Wonderweiss since the day the kid showed up. There's no way he'll forgive whoever did this." He pushed the thick bang hanging over his left eye to the side. The empty socket was a constant reminder of the evil of the Remnants. They had a tendency to aim for the head, and he was the last victim before the young blonde.

"Dr. Grantz called to say that Hakua was holding himself together quite well." Harribel chimed in. She was sure that her siblings lost a lot of faith in her regarding her decisions around Hakua, but the mother was looking out for his spirit in her own way. It just happened to be the wrong way this time.

Grimmjow clicked his tongue. "If he plans on going back to school, then you'd better see to it that he doesn't fall behind while he's over here."

"I'll call the school and see about getting a tutor." The path to redemption would be a long one in his eyes.

* * *

**A.N.** \- Family roster time. I'll be leaving specials out for when they show up (if they have a place in the story)

Barragan Louisenbairn \- Father of the Arrancar, patriarch, Espada, parents deceased (Arrancar War), 80 years old

Coyote Starrk \- Barragan's firstborn, father of Lilynette Starrk, lives on rotation between Huecojima and Russia, 40 years old

Tia Harribel \- Barragan's first daughter, mother of Hakua L., 37 years old

Ulquiorra Cifer \- Third child, doesn't stay in Las Noches often, 33 years old

Nnoitra Gilga \- Fifth child, 30 years old

Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez \- Sixth child, Nelliel's twin brother, 28 years old, different mother from the others

Nelliel Tu Odelschwanck \- Seventh child, Grimmjow's twin sister, 28 years old, mother of Nel Jr., different mother from the others

Yammy Llargo \- *Edit* I made a 24 year old the father of a 14 year old. Yammy is now 32, and the fourth child


End file.
